New York, March 14, 2022 – Those responsible for the kidnapping of French journalist Olivier Dubois in Mali must release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement Monday.
In a video recently published online, Dubois says that he was abducted in Mali’s Gao region on April 8, 2021, by the Al-Qaeda affiliated Support Group for Islam and Muslims, also known as Jamaa Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). CPJ could not determine when that video was recorded or when it was first published on the internet.
“A new video showing abducted journalist Olivier Dubois gives us relief that the journalist is still alive, but only underscores the injustice of his captivity,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator. “Those holding Dubois should release him unharmed without delay, and should cease all efforts to harass and kidnap members of the press.”
Dubois last appeared in another video, released online in May 2021, in which he confirmed that he had been abducted by the JNIM and urged his family, friends, and French authorities to do everything in their power to ensure his release, as CPJ documented at the time.
Last year, Dubois’ partner Deborah Al Hawi Al Marsi told CPJ, “I am confident that I will see him back home.” Libération and Jeune Afrique, where Dubois had worked as a correspondent, both reported that the new video was a relief for those who have been working for his release.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.