groups threatened activists, including women rights associations, during the public debates on the People and Families Policy. It is necessary to recall that, in Mali, the law limits the freedom of opinion and expression with regard to statements inciting racial, national or religious hatred or within the call to murder, which is punishable by law. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 3.1 (2008 = 2.3; 2006 = 2.7) 1.3 There are no laws restricting freedom of expression such as excessive official secret or libel acts, or laws that unreasonably interfere with the responsibilities of media. Implemented in 2003, law N°98-012 of January 19, 1998 governs relations between the administration and users of public services. This law limits the categories of accessible information with Article 14 listing the kind of information to which citizens should not have access: Government’s deliberations, national defence secrets and so on. Equally, law N°00-46/AN-RM of July 7, 2000, which governs press management and libel acts, limits this freedom in Mali. This law presents deficiencies in practice and makes access to information very difficult. These legal documents are also subject to an ongoing texts review. 82 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MALI 2010