Mali

The Republic of Mali is a landlocked sovereign state in western Africa with a constitutional democracy and a population of approximately 14.5 million. Mali began a political transition away from authoritarianism in the early 1990s and many of the country’s institutions gradually began to become more free and democratic. However, progress stalled after a military coup in 2012 deposed the sitting president, Amadou Toumani Touré, and a rebellion took place in northern Mali in the same year. Though a peace agreement was signed in the north in 2015, parts of the country remain politically unstable and under the influence of extremist armed groups. Thousands have died or have been displaced as a result of the ongoing conflict.

After weeks of protests over alleged government corruption, economic mismanagement and the inability to contain jihadist and communal violence (including the kidnapping of opposition politician Soumaila Cisse by an unknown jihadist group in March[ref]https://www.africanews.com/2020/08/21/letter-surfaces-from-soumaila-cisse-kidnapped-malian-politician//[/ref]), in August 2022 President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was deposed in a military coup. The international community largely condemned the coup and called for the release of the former President. The African Union suspended Mali’s membership,[ref]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-53896752[/ref] the UN called for democratic order to be restored as soon as possible[ref]https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/08/1070692[/ref] and the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) also took swift action by suspending trade with Mali and calling on neighbouring states to close their borders.[ref]https://allafrica.com/stories/202008200062.html[/ref]

Constitution and government Education and children’s rights Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general
Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is somewhat restricted
Official symbolic deference to religion
No formal discrimination in education
Constitution and government
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general
Official symbolic deference to religion
Education and children’s rights
No formal discrimination in education
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals
Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders
Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is somewhat restricted
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: Kazakhstan

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

Countries: Botswana, Greece, Serbia, United States of America

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

Countries: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Oman, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

Countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

Countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

Countries: China, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Legend
 
Systemic Discrimination
Mostly Satisfactory
Free and Equal
More information about rating table

Constitution and government

The Constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as well as freedom of opinion and expression.

However there has been a general decline in respect for human rights since the 2012 violence. The presence of extremist groups in northern and central parts of Mali and the inability to govern these areas have made the implementation of laws protecting freedom of religion or belief impossible.

The Constitution defines the country as a secular state and allows for religious practices that do not pose a threat to social stability and peace. However, Mali’s High Islamic Council has a significant influence over government in the predominantly Muslim nation.

The law requires all religious groups to submit to registration, with the exception of groups practicing indigenous religious beliefs; however, registration confers no tax preferences or other legal benefits, and there is no penalty for remaining unregistered.[ref]https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/MALI-2019-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf[/ref]

Passports and national identity documents do not designate religious identity.

Education and children’s rights

Under the Constitution state schools are not permitted to offer religious instruction. However, there are many private, parochial, and other religious educational institutions, both Muslim and Christian.

Family, community and society

According to US Government estimates, Muslims make up around 95 percent of the population, the majority of whom are Sunni and follow Sufism. Christians, groups with indigenous religious beliefs and the non-religious make up the remaining five percent. While historically Islam in Mali has been moderate and pluralistic, the fundamentalist Wahhabi strain of Islam imported by groups such as the Movement for Tawhid and Jihad in West Africa, and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, has grown in the past decade, particularly in the north of the country.[ref]theguardian.com/world/2013/may/03/mali-war-religious-faultlines[/ref]

In 2012 a rebellion by Tuareg tribesmen and an Islamist takeover of the north, followed by a military coup by officers seeking a more militant response to the uprising, led to a drastic deterioration in the human rights situation in Mali. Islamist militant groups gained control over Timbuktu and Gao, imposing Sharia (Islamic law) and destroying Sufi Muslim shrines and other sacred sites that they deemed un-Islamic. Following a French military intervention and peace-building efforts, Mali held successful presidential elections in August 2013 and parliamentary elections at the end of November 2013.

However, the Jihadists returned to northern Mali in March 2014, and continue to trouble the region. Some Islamist’s have sworn allegiance to ISIS. The various groups are financially supported by smuggling drugs such as cocaine bound for Europe. The destabilization caused by these groups diminishes the Malian states ability to regulate and intervene in religious affairs on behalf of secular interests.[ref]theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/16/islamist-groups-african-drug-smuggling-operation;allafrica.com/stories/201707190282.html[/ref] Mali suffered its worst year of extremist violence in 2019. In one of the worst attacks, in June 2019, at least 100 civilians were murdered in Sobame Da, a mainly-Christian village in the Mopti region of central Mali.[ref]https://news.barnabasfund.org/Heavily-armed-jihadists-murder-27-people-in-attacks-on-Christian-villages-in-Mali/[/ref]

In June-August 2020 a wave of anti-government protests took place in Bamako, which called for the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. Security forces used excessive force to disperse protesters by firing warning shots, attacking with truncheons and tear gas, resulting in at least 14 people being killed and 300 wounded.[ref]https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/mali-police-tear-gas-disperse-anti-gov-protesters-200812135412022.html[/ref] The protest movement is made up of a number of civil society and opposition groups and is fronted by the popular Muslim cleric, Mahmoud Dicko, who also served as chairman of Mali’s High Islamic Council for a decade. While not a politician, Dicko has been dubbed “the people’s imam” and the “moral authority” of Mali.[ref]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/18/malis-protesters-turn-to-populist-imam-to-end-cycle-of-corruption[/ref] He holds conservative views, and has previously opposed sex education in schools and the “promotion” of homosexuality.[ref]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/18/malis-protesters-turn-to-populist-imam-to-end-cycle-of-corruption[/ref]

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

Mali’s media were considered among the freest in Africa before the conflict and coup. Criminal libel laws had not been invoked by authorities since 2007, and there were no reports of harassment or intimidation of journalists in 2011. During 2012, however, an unprecedented number of journalists were illegally detained and tortured by the military and Islamist militants.

Freedoms of assembly and association were respected prior to the coup, but were violently suppressed during the civil war.

Access to the internet and social media was unduly restricted during the 2020 protests.[ref]https://www.article19.org/resources/mali-bloody-repression-of-protesters-and-attacks-against-the-media/[/ref]