Month: October 2023

Niger’s post-coup authorities imperil human rights and freedoms

Aïcha Abdou

Since the military coup on July 26, 2023, Nigerien authorities have engaged in arbitrary arrests of numerous former government officials and have actively suppressed critical media and peaceful dissent, according to recent statements by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. These organizations urge the authorities to immediately release individuals detained for politically motivated reasons and to ensure that all due process guarantees are rigorously upheld. On July 26, General Abdourahmane Tiani, alongside other Nigerien army officers forming the self-proclaimed National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), overthrew the…

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Niger: amnesty international urges immediate release of journalist samira sabou

Aïcha Abdou

Following the forcible disappearance of Samira Sabou—a Nigerien journalist and blogger—who was abducted from her mother’s home in Niamey on September 30 by masked individuals claiming to be security personnel, Ousmane Diallo, Sahel Researcher at Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Regional Office, has issued a strong appeal. We are deeply concerned about Samira Sabou’s enforced disappearance and call on the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) to disclose her whereabouts immediately and secure her prompt, unconditional release. If the authorities are unaware of her detention, they…

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