Responding to the enforced disappearance of Samira Sabou, a Nigerien journalist and blogger who was abducted from her residence on September 30 by masked individuals identifying themselves as security personnel, Ousmane Diallo, Sahel researcher for Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa regional office, issued a statement:
“We are deeply concerned by the enforced disappearance of Samira Sabou and call on the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) to immediately disclose her whereabouts and ensure her prompt and unconditional release. If authorities genuinely do not know where she is being held, they must launch an immediate investigation to ascertain her location. Each passing day infringes further upon Samira Sabou’s right to liberty and a fair trial, exposing her to potential torture or other forms of ill-treatment.”
Ousmane Diallo, Sahel researcher for Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa regional office
Samira Sabou is a human rights advocate profoundly dedicated to defending human rights and exposing corruption. It is highly probable that her enforced disappearance is directly linked to her fervent activism and her recent public condemnations of arbitrary arrests carried out by the CNSP.
“Niger has ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. We urgently appeal to the CNSP to uphold its human rights obligations under both national and international law, which include the prohibition of enforced disappearances and the protection of rights to freedom of expression and press freedom. We also demand that they respect and safeguard human rights defenders, whose rights are enshrined in Articles 4, 6, and 7 of the June 2022 law on the rights and duties of human rights defenders, as well as by international law.”
Additional details
Samira Sabou serves as a journalist, activist, and president of Niger’s bloggers’ association. On September 30, 2023, she was apprehended at her mother’s home in Niamey by several masked men who claimed to be members of the security forces. These individuals displayed their professional identification and insisted Samira accompany them into a vehicle, where she was blindfolded and driven to a destination unknown to her family and legal counsel. Neither her family nor her lawyer has been able to communicate with her since her arrest or ascertain her location. The Niamey police’s criminal investigation department also maintains that they have no knowledge of her case.
Other recent infringements have occurred against individuals merely exercising their right to freedom of expression.
On October 3, Samira Ibrahim, a social media user also known as “Precious Mimi,” received a six-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 300,000 CFA francs (479 USD) for “producing data likely to disturb public order.” She was charged in connection with a Facebook post where she referenced Algeria’s refusal to recognize the new Nigerien government.
