“President Bazoum and his wife are still being held captive amidst incomprehensible indifference from the international community”

DSince July 26, 2023, the date of the military coup in Niger, the President of the Republic, Mohamed Bazoum, democratically elected two years earlier by universal suffrage, has been deprived of his liberty. Having categorically refused to give in to the pressure exerted to force his resignation, he has been sequestered in two rooms of his residence, in the very heart of the presidential guard camp, whose former commander is the executor of the putsch with his accomplices who claimed to be close friends of the president.

Under the strict surveillance of armed men, he is held with his wife, Hadiza. The conditions of their detention are very harsh. Any exit from the building is strictly forbidden, with no communication with the outside world, except for the doctor’s visit twice a week. Under the pretext of an orchestrated escape attempt, his phone was confiscated on October 19, 2023.

Mohamed and Hadiza Bazoum are today the victims of arbitrary detention, in violation of fundamental guarantees on individual freedoms and international law, and which has particularly painful consequences for their family and, of course, for Nigeriens.

What is President Bazoum accused of? No grievance has been communicated to him in accordance with criminal laws and no explanation has been provided for his detention. No grounds for indictment have been notified to him and he has never been brought before a magistrate. The only legal proceedings formally initiated against him were the referral to a “State Court”, created by the junta in violation of the Constitution and as a substitute for the supreme courts that were the Council of State and the Court of Cassation. This procedure concluded with a lifting of presidential immunity, which would result in Mr. Bazoum being referred to the military court, four of whose five judges are military personnel with no legal training.

Vigorous fight against corruption

All these facts are extremely serious and may give rise to fears of the worst, especially since the military justice code provides for the death penalty. At the start of the putsch, condemnations of this arbitrary detention multiplied, starting with those of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States. The latter, in December 2023, ordered the release of President Bazoum and his family and the restoration of constitutional order in Niger.

You have 51.33% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.