Un urges Niger to release human rights defender Moussa Tiangari immediately

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued a landmark ruling, declaring the detention of Nigerien human rights defender Moussa Tiangari as arbitrary, and called for his immediate and unconditional release.

July 8, 2026 — The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders has welcomed the UN Working Group’s Opinion No. 4/2026, adopted on March 23 and publicly released on June 23, 2026, which categorically affirms that Moussa Tiangari’s deprivation of liberty lacks legal justification and constitutes a grave violation of his fundamental rights.

The ruling follows a formal complaint submitted by the International League Against Arbitrary Detention and sustained advocacy by civil society, including the Observatory, which has repeatedly demanded his immediate release.

From abduction to detention: a timeline of injustice

On December 3, 2024, Tiangari, Secretary-General of Alternative Espaces Citoyens (AEC)—a Nigerien NGO defending human rights, migrant rights, and democratic values—was forcibly taken from his home in Niamey. He was held incommunicado for approximately 48 hours, raising serious concerns about potential torture and ill-treatment. On December 5, 2024, he was located within the premises of the Central Service for Combating Terrorism and Organized Transnational Crime (SCLCT/CTO) in Niamey, where he was placed under custody.

On January 3, 2025, he was formally charged by the investigating judge at the Niamey High Court with multiple offenses, including “apology for terrorism” (Article 399.1.17(bis) of the Nigerien Penal Code), “threat to state security” (Articles 62 and following), “criminal association linked to a terrorist enterprise” (Article 399.1.19(new)), “threat to national defense” (Articles 66 and following), and “conspiracy against state authority in collaboration with enemy powers” (Articles 62 and following). If convicted, he faces the death penalty.

Tiangari was arrested just hours after returning from Abuja, where he had attended the Board of Directors meeting of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), a Nigerian organization and AEC partner. Days earlier, he had attended the seventh edition of the “Itinerant Humanitarian” conference in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. The event focused on humanitarian challenges and the need to uphold international humanitarian law.

A journalist with close ties to Nigerien authorities accused Tiangari in a December 4, 2024 article of making statements during the conference that allegedly undermined Niger’s interests. Additionally, on November 28, 2024, AEC had organized a critical conference on the deprivation of nationality imposed by the military regime, attended by the Niamey High Court prosecutor and former officials, including a former Minister of Justice.

Legal violations and procedural manipulation

In its ruling, the UN Working Group concluded that Tiangari’s detention is arbitrary due to the lack of legal grounds, serious breaches of his right to a fair trial, and discriminatory motives tied to his legitimate exercise of freedom of expression, participation in public affairs, peaceful assembly, and association. The Group found that Niger has violated multiple provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Despite the clear ruling, Tiangari remains detained at the high-security prison in Filingué. On May 15, 2026, the Appeals Court’s specialized chamber for counterterrorism and transnational crime in Niamey rejected his request for provisional release. This denial is particularly alarming given that Article 615 of Ordinance No. 2026-10 of February 16, 2026—which regulates the new Code of Criminal Procedure—states that pretrial detention in terrorism cases cannot exceed 12 months, renewable once for criminal matters. Tiangari has been detained for over a year and a half.

Adding to the injustice, on June 26, 2026, a retroactive amendment to Article 615 extended the maximum pretrial detention period for criminal cases to four years, renewable once. Tiangari’s legal team has warned that this change appears to be a deliberate attempt to prolong his detention.

This is not the first time Tiangari has faced arbitrary detention. In May 2015, he was detained for 10 days and charged with “threat to national defense” and “statements likely to demoralize troops” in connection with reports published by AEC. In March 2018, he was arrested again and detained for four months on charges related to his involvement in peaceful protests against the 2018 finance law. In March 2020, he was once more detained for a month and a half following an anti-corruption protest denouncing embezzlement in military procurement.

Systematic repression in post-coup Niger

Tiangari’s case reflects a broader pattern of repression since the July 27, 2023 coup d’état. Civic space has shrunk dramatically, with repeated violations of fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, opinion, association, assembly, and protest. Human rights defenders and dissident voices have been systematically targeted through arbitrary arrests, detentions, and nationality revocations.

The Observatory urges Nigerien authorities to act urgently by:

• Immediately and unconditionally releasing Moussa Tiangari;
• Dropping all charges against him;
• Ensuring his right to reparations;
• Conducting an independent and thorough investigation into the circumstances of his arbitrary detention and allegations of torture;
• Holding accountable those responsible for his unlawful detention and abuse;
• Ending all forms of harassment, including judicial persecution, against Tiangari and other human rights defenders in Niger;
• Guaranteeing full respect for freedom of expression, in line with international human rights law, particularly Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights—both ratified by Niger.

The international community must not remain silent in the face of such blatant violations. The time for justice is now.