Immediately release Moussa Changari; drop all charges
(Dhaka, Geneva, Nairobi, Paris, December 9, 2024) – Niger’s military authorities should immediately drop all charges and release a prominent civil society activist and government critic who was detained purely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (World Against Torture) organization and the International Federation for Human Rights) said today.
On December 3, 2024, Moussa Tchangari, secretary-general of the civil society group Citizens’ Alternative Spaces, was arrested and detainedCivic Space Alternatives, The AEC in Niger’s capital, Niamey, appears to be at odds with a widespread crackdown on political opposition, media and peaceful dissent by Nigerien authorities since General Abdourahamane Tiani came to power in a military coup in July 2023. related.
Drissa Traoré, Secretary General of the International Federation for Human Rights, said: “Moussa Changari should not be in prison, nor should several other Nigeriens unjustly imprisoned by General Tiani’s government. , which included former President Mohamed Bazoum and his wife. “The Nigerien authorities should immediately release Tangari, drop all charges against him, and stop targeting human rights defenders and activists. “
At around 7:30 pm on December 3, at least three plainclothes gunmen claiming to be police officers arrested 55-year-old Changari at his home in Niamey and robbed him of his mobile phone, laptop and suitcase. “They violently broke into our house. My husband asked them if they had a warrant, but they replied that the warrant was not mandatory,” said Tangali’s wife, who witnessed the arrest. “They ordered him [Tchangari] Follow them quietly because they don’t want anyone to know what’s going on.
Changari has previously expressed concerns to his colleagues and friends about the risk of arbitrary arrest and detention faced by many Nigeriens, particularly those who are openly critical of military authorities, including himself.
Isidore Ngueuleu, head of the World Organization Against Torture’s Africa department, said: “Changari told me that civil society actors in Niger are worried and that they carefully weigh their words and actions so that they can continue to defend human rights despite Constant risk of arrest “Tangari has been a role model for many human rights defenders and his arrest was intended to intimidate them. “
Changgari has been missing for the past two days. At around 4 pm on December 5, the lawyer finally found him at the Niamey Central Service Center for Combating Terrorism and Organized Transnational Crime (Service Central de Lutte contre le Terrorisme et de la Crimeité Transnationale Organisée SCLCT/CTO) and contacted him. He had a conversation. Rabiou Mamane, one of Changari’s attorneys, said his client was “blinded” to the intelligence service’s office, “which is not an investigative unit under the jurisdiction of the prosecutor general,” before being transferred to the SCLCT /Chief Technology Officer. Mamane said Changari was accused of “promoting terrorism, undermining national security and being a criminal gang with links to terrorism.”
“I had to fight to see my client and had to write several letters to the judicial authorities denouncing the poor conditions in which Tangali was arrested,” Mamane told Amnesty International. “I shouldn’t have done this, but The rule of law is not respected in Niger.”
Since the 1990s, Tangali has been known as an activist dedicated to promoting human rights and the rule of law in Niger. He was first arrested for four days in May 2015 after he expressed concerns in an interview about the arbitrary arrests of six people suspected of collaborating with the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, and again in 2018 for participating in peace activities. Arrested for protesting.
Changari recently criticized Niger’s interior minister’s decision on November 12 to revoke the licenses of two humanitarian NGOs and the establishment of a terrorism database on August 27.
On November 28, Tangari’s organization AEC held a meeting to discuss the October 10 presidential decree temporarily revoking the Nigerien nationality of nine people associated with former President Bazoum. Human Rights Watch also expressed concern about the decree and called on authorities to revoke it.
Under an August order establishing a terrorism database, the charges against Tangali, including advocating terrorism and terrorism-related criminal gangs, are among a broad range of offenses that could result in citizens being stripped of their citizenship even before conviction.
Changari’s arrest sparked a public outcry. International, regional and Nigerien human rights groups, including Transparency International Niger, have called for his release.
Amnesty International, the International Federation for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch and the World Organization Against Torture have reported extensively on the severe restrictions on the human rights of activists, journalists, opposition members and dissidents imposed by the Nigerian authorities since the coup.
“Moussa Changari is the latest victim of the Nigerien government’s campaign to suppress criticism of its policies and practices,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The authorities arbitrarily detained former President Bazoum and his wife, as well as at least 30 officials from the deposed government, including former ministers, members of the presidential cabinet, and people close to the deposed president, denying them the right to a fair trial and due diligence. legal process. They threaten, harass, and arbitrarily arrest journalists, suspend the operations of media organizations, and refuse to monitor military spending, which is contrary to the idea of fighting corruption.
Niger is a party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protect the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, association and peaceful assembly.
Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s regional director for West and Central Africa, said: “All recent actions, including Tangari’s arrest, indicate that Nigerien authorities should immediately release Tangari and stop using terrorism-related charges to suppress Dissent. “Niger’s regional and international partners should condemn this targeting of those who speak truth to power. “
