Niger: crackdown on journalists highlights press freedom crisis

Niger’s media crackdown: six journalists face legal harassment

On November 2, 2025, judicial police in Niamey arrested six journalists, three of whom were arbitrarily detained. This blatant violation of press freedom rights has drawn strong condemnation from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), acting through the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. The organizations are demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all detained journalists.

Among those arrested were Moussa Kaka, former Radio France Internationale correspondent and current director of Radio-télévision Saraounia (RTS); Abdoul Aziz Idé, journalist at RTS’s Zarma service; Ibro Chaibou, host of the “Club de la presse” and RTS copy editor; Youssouf Seriba, publisher of “Échos du Niger”; Oumarou Kané, founder of the satirical weekly “Le Hérisson”; and Souleymane Brah, publisher of “La voix du peuple”.

All face charges of “complicity in spreading information likely to disrupt public order” under Article 31 of Niger’s cybercrime law (Law No. 2019-33 of July 3, 2019), as amended by Ordinance 2024-28 of June 7, 2024, carrying potential sentences of two to five years imprisonment.

Arbitrary detention and legal intimidation

On November 3, 2025, the presiding judge of Niamey’s High Court placed three journalists—Ibro Chaibou, Youssouf Seriba, and Oumarou Kané—under pretrial detention at the high-security prison in Kollo, located about 50 kilometers south of the capital. Meanwhile, Moussa Kaka, Abdoul Aziz Idé, and Souleymane Brah were released on bail after lengthy police questioning, though charges against them remain pending.

The arrests followed social media posts, including on Facebook, about Radio-télévision Saraounia’s coverage of a November 1 press conference organized by the “Solidarity Fund for the Salvation of the Homeland” (FSSP). This military-established structure collects mandatory contributions from employees, populations, and NGOs to “support the army in its fight against radical groups.”

The Observatory strongly rejects the claim that merely publishing or debating an invitation constitutes a violation of cybercrime legislation or public order disruption. Such prosecutions, they argue, represent clear attempts to intimidate these journalists and suppress Niger’s press freedom, in direct contravention of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Pattern of repression under military rule

This isn’t the first time Moussa Kaka has faced judicial harassment. In September 2007, during President Mamadou Tandja’s regime, he was charged with “complicity in undermining state authority” for contacting the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) in his journalistic work. He was eventually freed in October 2008 after the FIDH condemned his arbitrary detention. RFI, where Kaka worked, was shut down by Nigerien authorities in August 2023.

Since the July 27, 2023 military coup, Niger has seen a systematic shrinking of civic space. Human rights defenders, including Moussa Tchangari—arbitrarily detained for nearly a year—have faced repeated violations of their fundamental freedoms of expression, opinion, association, assembly, and peaceful protest. Journalists have not been spared this crackdown. For instance, on May 7-8, 2025, Hamid Mahmoud, Mahaman Sani, and Massaouda Jaharou of Sahara FM radio in Agadez were arrested for reporting on an LSI Africa article about alleged intelligence cooperation breakdowns between Niger, Russia, and Turkey. Though initially released on May 9, they were re-arrested and transferred to Niamey’s civil prison on May 14. On June 13, the Niamey military tribunal charged them with “undermining national defense” and “conspiring against state authority,” with Mahmoud and Sani remaining in preventive detention at Kollo prison as of this writing.

Call for immediate action

The Observatory urges Nigerien authorities to:

• Immediately release Ibro Chaibou, Youssouf Seriba, Oumarou Kané, Hamid Mahmoud, and Mahaman Sani, who remain arbitrarily detained
• Drop all charges against these journalists and against Moussa Kaka, Abdoul Aziz Idé, Souleymane Brah, and Massaouda Jaharou
• Amend the cybercrime law to bring it fully in line with international human rights standards, particularly Articles 19 of the ICCPR and 9 of the African Charter, which protect freedom of opinion and expression

The Observatory notes with concern that the June 7, 2024 ordinance by the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP)—Niger’s military leadership—restored prison sentences for offenses including insults, defamation via electronic means, or spreading information likely to disrupt public order. The FIDH had previously warned this could be used to silence human rights defenders, including journalists.