Three years after Niger’s military seized power, Human Rights Watch (HRW) is urging the country’s international partners to reengage as the junta tightens its grip, dismantles democratic institutions and expands its crackdown on dissent.
HRW said in a statement that Niger’s military authorities have, over the past year, dissolved every political party and several independent unions, suspended dozens of civil society organizations and detained journalists under a sweeping cybercrime law. The junta has also revoked the nationality of political opponents, criminalized consensual same-sex relations and recently announced Niger’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The international community “should press the authorities to respect fundamental rights, release those arbitrarily detained, stop targeting political opponents and critics, and set out a credible path to civilian rule”, said HRW’s senior Sahel researcher, Ilaria Allegrozzi.
