Jurist Human rights group condemns persisting abuses in Niger since military coup

[Dadparvar]

Human rights violations have persisted in Niger since the 2023 military coup, an Amnesty International report revealed on Tuesday, calling for Nigerien military regime to be held accountable.

The report documents human rights abuses Nigerien authorities have committed since the military coup in July 2023. It details the widespread use of arbitrary detention, press censorship, crackdown on civil society organizations, and the violation of rights such as freedom of expression.

Amnesty International’s Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa Marceau Sivieude commented:

Upon taking power, the new authorities justified their coup on a continued worsening of the security situation and poor economic and social governance. They made a commitment to respect the rule of law and human rights. Our report shows that they have clearly failed, with a sharp escalation of human rights violations since the coup. They must now keep their commitment.

Following a coup d’etat conducted by the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) in which Niger’s elected President, Mahmoud Bazoum, was overthrown, the report catalogs the “deterioration of civic space and civil and political rights” in the country. Suspension of the activities of political parties and the arrests of political figures after the military’s seizure of power included former President Bazoum and his wife and son being placed under house arrest. The arbitrary arrests and imprisonment under harsh conditions of several government ministers despite courts ordering for some of them to be released have “silenced opposition leaders and instilled fear among activists,” causing self-censorship and “making public dissent incredibly dangerous.”

Amnesty International calls for the immediate release of all individuals the Nigerien authorities have arbitrarily detained and for an end to the crackdown on journalists, human rights defenders, and activists. Siviedu stated:

Amnesty International calls on the Nigerien authorities to respect the international and regional treaties they are still bound to, which protect the rights to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly, guarantee the right to a fair trial and the rights of those in detention, and prohibit torture, and other ill-treatment. They must release all arbitrarily detained persons immediately.

Reports released in 2024, a year after the coup, similarly documented human rights violations being committed, including the erosion of freedom of expression. Press censorship remains rampant through the suspension of three major international media outlets and the umbrella group overseeing 32 media organizations, Maison de la Presse (Press House). Journalists such as Ousmane Toudou and Soumana Maiga and civil society activists such as Moussa Tchangari have been arbitrarily arrested and detained. Revisions to the Cybercrime Law and monitoring online spaces have led to critics of the authorities being targeted and facing harsher penalties, including substantial fines and severe prison sentences.

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