Bamako – A Malian court on Tuesday rejected a request for the release of 11 junta critics who were arrested in June for “plotting against the legal authorities”, a judicial source said.
The detained include former ministers and political figures who signed a declaration published in March calling for a return to civilian rule.
They were arrested while holding a private meeting in the capital Bamako at a time when political party activities were outlawed by the ruling junta.
The military authorities introduced the ban in April as part of their ever-harder line on dissent since seizing power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. They lifted the ban in July.
The request for the release of the opponents which was submitted to the Bamako court of appeal “has been rejected”, a judicial official said on condition of anonymity.
“Their lawyers still have the possibility of appealing to another jurisdiction,” the official added.
The signatories of the March 31 declaration had denounced the “legal and institutional vacuum” left after the deadline set for the military to leave power had expired.
They had called for a presidential election to be held “as soon as possible”.
Mali is battling a political, security and economic crisis and has been ravaged by jihadist violence since 2012.
The junta decreed in June 2022 that the military would cede power to civilians at the end of March 2024, after a presidential election scheduled for February, only to renege on the promise.
It has since announced that the presidential election will be postponed to an as-yet unknown date.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Pixabay
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