Niger Republic Jails Leading Activist

Niger Republic Jails Leading Activist

A Niger court on Friday jailed a leading civil society figure and critic of the military-led authorities, one month after he was detained following a trip abroad, his NGO said.

Filingue prison, about 200 kilometres (120 miles) northeast of Niamey, is notorious for holding political dissidents who have opposed Niger’s previous governments.

According to the Air Info newspaper, Tchangari “was coming back from a trip outside of the country” when he was arrested at home by “four men dressed in civilian clothes”.

His phone and laptop were seized during the arrest, according to AEC member Kaka Touda.

A few days later, three rights groups — Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders — called for his release.

The organisations linked his arrest to what they called a “pervasive crackdown” by the Nigerien authorities on political opponents and the media since Tiani seized power in 2023.

Tchangari was previously arrested in May 2015 and later freed over critical remarks by his organisation about the humanitarian situation in southeastern Niger, where the army is fighting a jihadist insurgency.