UN rights chief urges Mali to repeal 'draconian decree' dissolving political parties

The UN rights chief called on Mali Friday to immediately repeal a decree dissolving political parties and to "fully restore political rights in the country".The military government on Tuesday dissolved the west African country's political parties, according to a presidency decree, the latest attempt to clamp down on the opposition.Opposition parties had feared the move for weeks, banding together into a hundred-party coalition to demonstrate in a rare act of open defiance since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021 brought the army to power. "The Transitional President should repeal this draconian decree," UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement."Any restrictions of political participation must be consistent with Mali's international human rights law obligations."The UN rights office pointed to the arrests of at least three members of the opposition following protests sparked by the planned dissolution of political parties."Their whereabouts are currently unknown, the latest victims in a pattern of enforced disappearances that dates back to at least 2021," the statement said.Turk called on "the transitional authorities to release those who have been arrested on politically motivated grounds and to fully restore political rights in the country"."They must protect civic space and ensure an environment in which all people can enjoy all their rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly."The rights office said that the decree was issued at a time of persistent insecurity affecting people across Mali, with credible sources indicating that rights violations had soared nearly 120 percent between 2023 and 2024.It pointed to reports indicating that members of the Mali Armed Forces, allegedly accompanied by "foreign military personnel commonly referred to either as 'Wagner' or as 'Africa Corps', also killed dozens of people last month". "The victims were reportedly summarily executed following their arrest in Sebagougou, in the southwestern Kayes region," the statement said.Turk said that "the multiple investigations announced by the Malian authorities into these attacks and killings must be conducted in a timely manner"."Those found responsible must be brought to justice, in trials that meet Mali's international human rights obligations, with a view to ensuring victims' rights to truth, justice and reparations," he said.