Malian opposition leader remains in detention despite parliament support

KIGALI, Rwanda

The Malian government did not release an opposition leader despite winning a vote in the National Transitional Council to suspend his three months detention over remarks made on social media.

During a plenary session on Thursday, Issa Kaou N'Djim, the leader of the opposition group Citizen Call for the Success of the Transition (ACRT-FASO KA WALE), received 101 votes to 7 votes, with 5 abstentions, on a resolution requesting the suspension of his detention, which was presented by an ad hoc commission set up by the parliament on Monday.

The Autonomous Union of the Judiciary and the Free Union of the Judiciary in a joint statement issued on Friday said the parliament’s resolution was not in tandem with the principle of separation of powers.

However, some legal experts believe it is binding.

N'Djim was arrested last month in the capital Bamako by the gendarmerie for making “subversive remarks” on social media. Later, he was charged with “disturbing public order and undermining the credibility of the state.”

At the request of the government prosecutor, a local court sent him to prison until its judgment in the case, which will be announced on Dec. 3. However, he objected to his incarceration, invoking his right to freedom of expression as well as his parliamentary immunity.

The arrest came days after he criticized the Malian government head for declaring the Special Representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) persona non grata in the country.

N'Djim was elected vice president of an interim parliament established in the aftermath of a military coup led by Assimi Goita in Aug. 2020, which ousted elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

He is also known for his sharp criticism of Mali’s interim Prime Minister Choguel Maiga.