Mali: Intellectuals Condemn Coup Leaders’ “Excesses” and Demand Constitutional Order
Sixteen prominent intellectuals have issued a statement denouncing the “excesses” of the military coup leaders currently in power in Mali. They are urging these leaders to “restore constitutional order” and organize “free and credible elections,” according to media reports.
The statement, released on Wednesday, features signatures from writers, legal experts, economists, and sociologists who have made a solemn appeal for the preservation of the Republic and the protection of fundamental rights.
This initiative arises amid a political crisis triggered by the junta’s dissolution of all political parties on May 10 and the subsequent repression of the pro-democracy movement that began earlier that month.
Among the signatories are a former minister and several members of now-dissolved parties. While most have never held political office, they share deep concerns regarding what they perceive as “an authoritarian drift in the transitional government.”
The authors of the statement condemn “regular violations of the rule of law under the military transition regime that has been in place since 2021.” They express alarm over increasing arbitrariness, targeted arrests, censorship of dissenting voices, and the gradual erosion of fundamental freedoms, stating, “The law of the strongest increasingly prevails,” and lamenting a “manifest lack of willingness from the authorities to end the exceptional regime through free and credible elections.”
Moreover, the signatories remind that the Malian Constitution of July 22, 2023, sworn in by Transition President General Assimi Goita, guarantees freedoms of expression, assembly, and political participation.
Despite these assurances, they denounce “the repeal of the Charter of Political Parties, the dissolution of these parties, and the criminalization of opponents to the regime.”
In light of these developments, they call for “a swift return to constitutional order, the release of all political prisoners, the establishment of constructive political dialogue, and the setting of an electoral timeline for presidential and legislative elections as soon as possible.”
They further demand “the respect of constitutional commitments and international treaties ratified by Mali, as well as the establishment of an independent, credible, and fair judiciary.”
Additionally, the signatories express their refusal to remain indifferent, viewing such indifference as “a form of complicity in the current regime’s excesses.” They conclude their appeal by invoking “their civic duty to participate in defending democratic principles and fighting against the normalization of terror and misery in their country.”
It is important to note that the repeal of the Charter of Political Parties and the granting of a five-year presidential mandate without elections to coup leader Assimi Goita has plunged the country into a profound political crisis characterized by unprecedented protests demanding a return to constitutional order and the organization of elections.
