Three journalists – Ibro Chaibou, Youssouf Seriba, and Oumarou Kané – were arrested by the police in Niamey on 30 October and later charged with “complicity in the dissemination of information likely to cause public disorder”. Since 3 November, all three journalists have been held in custody at Kollo prison, about 30 kilometres outside the capital, Niamey. The international Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns, in the strongest terms possible, this continued pattern of repression and intimidation meted out by the country’s military junta on journalists, since it came to power in July 2023. The IFJ calls on the military junta in Niger to release the journalists, as well as to stop suppressing and repressing media freedom.
According to media reports, initially six journalists were arrested and charged with offences related to the law on cybercrime, including the director of Radio Television Saraounia, Moussa Kaka, and its journalist Abdoul Aziz, as well as Souleymane Brah of the online publication Voice of the People. These three were later released on bail.
However, Ibro Chaibou, newsroom manager of Radio Television Saraounia; Youssouf Seriba, director of publication of the online media Les Échos du Niger; and Oumarou Kané, founder of the newspaper Le Hérisson, remain in custody for allegedly sharing an invitation to a government press conference .
Related Stories
The military junta amended the country’s cybercrime law in June 2024. This amendment reinstated prison sentences of up to five years for contravening the law, plus fines for the production or dissemination of data that may disturb public order or threaten human dignity.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said that the arrest of journalists under vague and unfounded charges has become a norm for the military junta in Niger, as part of the junta’s strategy to silence dissent and force journalists into self-censorship.
“The junta in Niger is weaponising the law to clamp down on journalists and human rights defenders. This pattern of repression involves manipulating the truth and denying the fundamental right of its citizens to access information. It is a flagrant violation of the right to freedom of speech and the right to information,” added Bellanger.
The IFJ calls on the authorities in Niger to drop all charges against the six journalists and to release Ibro Chaibou, Youssouf Seriba, and Oumarou Kané with immediate effect, because they have not committed any offence.
