On November 2, the judicial police in Niamey arrested six journalists, a move that represents a clear violation of media freedom. While three of these individuals remain in arbitrary detention, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders—a partnership between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)—strongly condemns this judicial harassment and demands their immediate and unconditional release.
The group of targeted media professionals includes Moussa Kaka, director of Radio-télévision Saraounia (RTS) and former RFI correspondent; Abdoul Aziz Idé, a journalist at RTS; Ibro Chaibou, editor and host at RTS; Youssouf Seriba, publication director of Échos du Niger; Oumarou Kané, founder of the satirical weekly Le Hérisson; and Souleymane Brah, director of La voix du peuple. They have been charged with “complicity in disseminating information likely to disturb public order” under Article 31 of the Cybercrime Law, as amended by the June 2024 ordinance. They face potential prison sentences ranging from two to five years.
Following their initial hearing on November 3, 2025, an investigating judge in Niamey ordered that Ibro Chaibou, Youssouf Seriba, and Oumarou Kané be held at the Kollo high-security prison. Although Moussa Kaka, Abdoul Aziz Idé, and Souleymane Brah were granted bail after lengthy interrogations, the legal charges against them remain active.
The context of the arrests
These legal actions stem from the online sharing of a press invitation. The document invited Radio-télévision Saraounia to cover a briefing by the “Solidarity Fund for the Safeguarding of the Homeland” (FSSP), a body established by the military administration to collect funds for defense. The charges also relate to a radio debate held on October 31. The Observatory maintains that discussing or publishing a press invitation cannot be considered a threat to public order and views these prosecutions as a clear attempt to intimidate the Nigerien press and restrict freedom of expression.
This is not the first time Moussa Kaka has faced such pressure; he was previously detained for over a year starting in 2007 under a different administration. Furthermore, the environment for civil liberties in Niger has significantly tightened since the coup d’état on July 27, 2023. Human rights defenders and journalists have increasingly become targets of the state.
A pattern of repression
The current situation mirrors other recent cases of media suppression in the country. In May 2025, Hamid Mahmoud, Mahaman Sani, and Massaouda Jaharou from Sahara FM were arrested for reporting on international cooperation issues. While Massaouda Jaharou was eventually granted provisional release, Hamid Mahmoud and Mahaman Sani remain in custody at Kollo prison, facing charges of “undermining national defense.”
The Observatory calls upon the authorities in Niger to immediately release all journalists currently held and to drop all pending charges. There is also an urgent need to reform the Cybercrime Law. The June 2024 modifications, which reintroduced prison terms for defamation and the dissemination of sensitive data, are being used to silence dissenting voices, in contradiction with international human rights standards and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
