Six journalists face judicial harassment in Niger after criticizing military regime
On November 2, 2025, judicial police in Niamey arrested six journalists, three of whom remain arbitrarily detained. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), through the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, strongly condemn this blatant violation of press freedom and demand their immediate and unconditional release.
Among those detained are Ibro Chaibou, host of the “Press Club” and RTS editorial secretary, Youssouf Seriba, editor-in-chief of *Échos du Niger*, and Oumarou Kané, founder of the satirical weekly *Le Hérisson*. The three were placed under detention at the high-security prison in Kollo, 50 km south of Niamey. Meanwhile, Moussa Kaka (former RFI correspondent and RTS director), Abdoul Aziz Idé (RTS Zarma service journalist), and Souleymane Brah (director of *La Voix du Peuple*) were released on bail but still face charges.
The arrests stem from their involvement in covering a press conference organized by the Fonds de Solidarité pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrie (FSSP)—a government-backed fund collecting forced contributions to support the military—and a debate on RTS about the event held on October 31, 2025. Authorities accuse them of “complicity in spreading information likely to disturb public order” under Niger’s controversial cybercrime law, amended in June 2024 to reinstate prison sentences for defamation and content deemed subversive.
Repeated attacks on press freedom in Niger
This is not the first time journalists in Niger have faced repression. Moussa Kaka was previously charged in 2007 under former President Mamadou Tandja for alleged ties to the Mouvement des Nigériens pour la Justice (MNJ). His radio station, RFI Niger, was shut down in August 2023. The Observatory highlights a broader pattern: since the July 2023 military coup, civic space has shrunk dramatically, with frequent violations of freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.
In a similar case in May 2025, journalists Hamid Mahmoud, Mahaman Sani, and Massaouda Jaharou from Sahara FM in Agadez were arrested for reporting on alleged intelligence cooperation breakdowns with Russia and Turkey. After initial release, two remain detained without charge under military custody. These incidents underscore a systematic effort to silence dissenting voices.
Call for justice and legal reform
The Observatory urges Niger’s authorities to:
- Release all detained journalists immediately and drop charges against them and others facing prosecution, including Moussa Kaka and Abdoul Aziz Idé.
- Repeal repressive provisions in the cybercrime law that criminalize journalism under vague terms like “disturbing public order.”
- Align national legislation with international human rights standards, particularly Article 19 of the ICCPR and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The June 2024 amendment to the cybercrime law, which reintroduced prison sentences for electronic defamation and vaguely defined offenses, has been widely criticized for enabling the persecution of journalists and activists. The FIDH warned at the time that such laws could be weaponized to suppress dissent.
With press freedom under siege in Niger, the international community must hold authorities accountable and demand the restoration of fundamental rights.
