Mali
Mali
| Right | Section | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom of Association | History | Mali:
Mali’s 1974 Constitution protects the right of its citizens to form unions and associations to protect their professional interests under Article 13 (“Journal Officiel De La République Du Mali” 1974, 2). The freedom to form all associations is found in Mali’s current 1992 constitution under Article 5 (Mali 1992). “Journal Officiel De La République Du Mali” 1974. https://sgg-mali.ml/JO/1974/mali-jo-1974-440.pdf Mali 1992. “Mali 1992 Constitution” Constitute https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Mali_1992 |
| Freedom of Expression | History | In 1959, the Sudanese Republic joined with Senegal to create the Federation of Mali but the withdrawal of Senegal shortly thereafter led to the declaration of the Sudanese Republic as the Republic of Mali (2024). In 1960, the Constitution of the Republic of Mali (“Constitutional History of Mali) was enacted which guaranteed the affirmation of rights enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights in which Article 19 guarantees the “the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers,”(United Nations, 1948).
Sources: 2024. Familysearch.org. 2024. https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Mali_History#:~:text=French%20Sudan %20joined%20with%20Senegal. “Constitutional History of Mali.” n.d. ConstitutionNet. https://constitutionnet.org/country/africa-mali. “Northwestern SSO.” n.d. Prd-Nusso.it.northwestern.edu. Accessed June 8, 2024. https://heinonline-org.turing.library.northwestern.edu/HOL/Page?handle=hein.cow/zzml0024&collection=cow. United Nations. 1948. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/UDHR/Documents/UDHR_Translatio ns/eng.pdf. |
| Freedom of Religion | History | Article 4 of Mali’s Fundamental Law No. 1 (1991) contains the first assertion of freedom of religion in Mali’s independent history. This was followed up by a 1992 Constitution which also protected the right.
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| Freedom of the Press | History | Article 7 of Mali’s 1992 Constitution protects press freedom: “Freedom of the press shall be recognized and guaranteed. It shall be exercised within conditions determined by law. Equal access for all to the State media shall be assured by an independent organ who's regulations shall be established by an organic law" (Constitute Project, “Mali’s Constitution of 1992” ). |
| Privacy Rights | History | Various aspects of the right to privacy are protected in Mali’s 1992 Constitution. Article 6 states that “The domicile, domain (people and things), private and family life, secrecy of correspondence and communication shall be inviolable. These areas shall only be touched within conditions preordained by the law.” Additionally, Law No. 15 of 2013 governs the protection of personal data in Mali, and the Mali Data Protection Authority (APDP) monitors data protection in the state (Watt and Itoua, 2024).
References: “Mali 1992 Constitution.” Constitute Project, translated by Daniel G. Anna. Accessed July 19, 2024. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Mali_1992 Watt, Fatoumata, and Ismael Itoua. 2024. “Mali - Data Protection Overview.” Data Guidance. https://www.dataguidance.com/notes/mali-data-protection-overview |
| Voting Rights and Suffrage | History | According to Article 27, suffrage is granted to all citizens of Mali over the age of 18 to participate in universal, equal, and secret elections. The President of Mali is elected every 5 years by an absolute majority of votes. Additionally, under Article 61, the Deputies are elected every 5 years via universal suffrage. (Constitute Project, “Mali’s Constitution of 1992 ”). |