Journalists in Niger face legal persecution for fulfilling professional duties
The judicial harassment of six journalists in Niger represents a blatant assault on press freedom and the right to information. On November 2, 2025, judicial police in Niamey arrested these media professionals, with three subsequently being arbitrarily detained. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), through their joint Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, have issued an urgent condemnation of these actions and demanded the immediate, unconditional release of all six journalists.
Who are the detained journalists?
The six journalists targeted include:
- Moussa Kaka, former RFI correspondent and current director of Radio-télévision Saraounia (RTS),
- Abdoul Aziz Idé, journalist with RTS’s Zarma service,
- Ibro Chaibou, host of the “Club de la Presse” and RTS editorial secretary,
- Youssouf Seriba, editor-in-chief of the online news outlet Échos du Niger,
- Oumarou Kané, founder of the satirical weekly Le Hérisson, and
- Souleymane Brah, editor-in-chief of La Voix du Peuple.
All six have been charged under Article 31 of the Cybercrime Law (Law No. 2019-33 of July 3, 2019), as amended by Ordinance 2024-28 of June 7, 2024, which carries potential sentences of two to five years imprisonment. The charges allege “complicity in disseminating information likely to disrupt public order.”
Arbitrary detention and ongoing persecution
Following their arrest, three journalists—Ibro Chaibou, Youssouf Seriba and Oumarou Kané—were remanded in custody at the high-security prison in Kollo, located about 50 kilometers south of Niamey. Meanwhile, Moussa Kaka, Abdoul Aziz Idé and Souleymane Brah were released on bail, though the charges against them remain pending.
The arrests stem from the journalists’ coverage of a press conference organized by the Solidarity Fund for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (FSSP)—a government-backed initiative collecting mandatory contributions from employees, NGOs, and the public to fund military operations against armed groups. The FSSP had invited RTS to cover the event, which was also the subject of the “Club de la Presse” debate on October 31, 2025.
The Observatory strongly rejects the notion that publishing an invitation or hosting a debate constitutes a crime. Such actions do not constitute a “disruption of public order” under any legal framework. Instead, these prosecutions appear designed solely to intimidate these journalists and suppress critical reporting in Niger.
Systematic repression under military rule
This is not the first time Nigerien authorities have targeted Moussa Kaka. In 2007, during the presidency of Mamadou Tandja, he was charged with “complicity in undermining state authority” for contacts with the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ). After 13 months in detention, he was released in 2008 following international outcry. RFI, where Kaka worked, was shut down by Nigerien authorities in August 2023.
Since the July 27, 2023 military coup, Niger has seen a dramatic erosion of civic space and fundamental rights. The military junta has systematically violated freedoms of expression, assembly, and association, including through arbitrary arrests and detentions. Moussa Tchangari, a human rights defender, has been arbitrarily detained for nearly a year, while other journalists—such as Hamid Mahmoud, Mahaman Sani and Massaouda Jaharou of Sahara FM in Agadez—have faced similar repression for reporting on sensitive issues.
In May 2025, these three journalists were arrested for relaying information about alleged intelligence cooperation breakdowns between Niger, Russia, and Turkey. After initial release, two—Sani and Mahmoud—remain in detention at Kollo prison, facing charges of “undermining national defense” and “conspiracy against state authority.”
Call for justice and legal reform
The Observatory demands the immediate release of all detained journalists and the dismissal of charges against all six. It also urges Niger’s authorities to repeal the amended Cybercrime Law, ensuring compliance with international human rights standards—particularly Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which protect freedom of opinion and expression.
The Observatory emphasizes that the June 7, 2024 ordinance reinstating prison sentences for online defamation, insults, and dissemination of content deemed to disrupt public order creates a dangerous precedent for the suppression of dissent. The FIDH had warned at the time that such provisions could be weaponized against human rights defenders and journalists.
