Powered by TNTSearch

Our members in danger

The work of activists is not without danger, and many suffer serious violations of their rights. The members of Tournons La Page, through the subjects they deal with, are particularly targeted by these attacks. The purpose of this page is to draw attention to these human rights defenders who are persecuted in their respective countries for their work of citizen control.

Burundi

Nestor NABITANGA

Arrêté·e le 11 November 2017
Libéré·e le 27 April 2021

Burundi

Germain RUKUKI

Arrêté·e le 13 July 2017
Libéré·e le 30 June 2021

Burundi

Tony Germain NKINA

Arrêté·e le 13 October 2020
Toujours en prison

Member of APRODEH, Tony Germain NKINA was arrested on October 13, 2020 in the commune of Kabarore, Kayanza province. Sentenced to 5 years in prison by the High Court of Kayanza on June 15, 2021, his conviction was confirmed by the judgment of the Court of Appeal of Ngoziau in August. He has since been imprisoned in the central prison of Ngozi.

Congo

Alexandre IBACKA DZABANA

Arrêté·e le 11 March 2021
Libéré·e le 15 July 2021

Congo

Christ DONGUI

Arrêté·e le 25 March 2021
Libéré·e le 15 July 2021

Christ DONGUI, deputy coordinator of the citizen movement Ras-Le-Bol, was abducted on March 25, 2021 in the "15 years old plateau district" in Brazzaville by persons in civilian clothes and then taken to the Central Intelligence and Documentation Office (Centrale d'intelligence et de documentation), formerly the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance, where he remained for 11 days before being transferred to the Brazzaville House of Arrest and Correction (MAC).

On April 9, 2021, he was brought before the Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI) of Brazzaville, charged with "undermining the internal security of the State" and then placed under a detention order at the MAC of Brazzaville. He was finally released on July 15, 2021.

Côte d'Ivoire

Alexandre Didier AMANI

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2020
Libéré·e le 11 March 2020

Côte d'Ivoire

Kwame Hugues N'GUETTIA

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2020
Libéré·e le 11 March 2020

Côte d'Ivoire

Jean HUGUES

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2020
Libéré·e le 11 March 2020

Côte d'Ivoire

Amoutchi KABLAN

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2020
Libéré·e le 11 March 2020

Côte d'Ivoire

Koffi Odoukou ANSELME

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2020
Libéré·e le 11 March 2020

Côte d'Ivoire

Brice Arnaud OUEZA

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2020
Libéré·e le 10 March 2020

Côte d'Ivoire

Bi Stephane GOORE

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2020
Libéré·e le 11 March 2020

Côte d'Ivoire

Serge KOUKO

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2020
Libéré·e le 11 March 2020

Côte d'Ivoire

Dasso Claver David OUEZA

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2020
Libéré·e le 11 March 2020

Côte d'Ivoire

Grace Elvis KOUAME

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2020
Libéré·e le 11 March 2020

Cameroon

Jean-Marc BIKOKO

Arrêté·e le 15 September 2015
Libéré·e le 24 September 2015

Gabon

Jean Rémy YAMA

Arrêté·e le 02 March 2022
Toujours en prison

Jean-Rémy Yama - president of Dynamique Unitaire, Gabon's largest trade union coalition, and member of Tournons La Page - has been arbitrarily detained since March 2 for alleged breach of trust. However, no Gabonese court has pronounced a judgment against Jean-Rémy Yama: he is therefore presumed innocent.

Indeed, the next presidential election will be held in one year. The outgoing president, Ali Bongo - in power since October 2009 - has announced that he will run for a third term in 2023. Since 2016, Tournons La Page and its Gabonese partners have mobilized to promote democratic change in Gabon.

It is therefore for his union commitment that Jean-Rémy Yama is targeted. The proof: he is the beneficiary of a provisional liberty acted on June 10, 2022. However, the Prosecutor of the Republic, André Patrick Roponat, ignored this decision and Jean-Rémy Yama is still in prison.

Tournons La Page, through the emergency fund of the Protection Program, supports the lawyers and family of Jean-Rémy Yama. But his health is deteriorating rapidly and he requires urgent hospital care. 

Guinea

Oumar SYLLA

Arrêté·e le 29 September 2020
Libéré·e le 07 September 2021

Guinea

Billo BAH

Arrêté·e le 05 July 2022
Libéré·e le 08 July 2022

Guinea

Oumar SYLLA

Arrêté·e le 05 July 2022
Libéré·e le 08 July 2022

Guinea

Ibrahima DIALLO

Arrêté·e le 07 March 2020
Libéré·e le 13 March 2020

Guinea

Sékou KOUNDOUNO

Arrêté·e le 07 March 2020
Libéré·e le 13 March 2020

Niger

Seyni HAROUNA

Arrêté·e le 17 March 2017
Libéré·e le 23 March 2017

Seyni HAROUNA, first deputy secretary general of SYNACEB, co-signed a joint communiqué of the synergy of action between education unions and the government on December 13, 2016. He was arrested on March 17, 2017 for "usurpation of the title and status of teacher" and released on March 23, 2017, the prosecutor having initiated no prosecution for insufficient evidence.

Niger

Maikoul ZODI

Arrêté·e le 05 April 2017
Libéré·e le 18 April 2017

A teacher who had become coordinator of Tournons La Page Niger (TLP-Niger), he was arrested at his home by the police, who showed him neither an arrest warrant nor a reason for his arrest. He was accused of "concussion" and of never having taken up his post while still receiving his salary. This, despite the fact that he had repeatedly asked by letter to be assigned, without ever receiving a reply. He was released on April 18, 2017 after the judge declared that the facts had not been established and that there were no grounds for prosecution.

Niger

Ali IDRISSA NANI

Arrêté·e le 20 May 2017
Libéré·e le 22 May 2017

Ali IDRISSA NANI, was arrested at around 4pm in his garden on the outskirts of Niamey by six police officers and taken to the judicial police after giving interviews to denounce the ban on demonstrations. Charged with "inciting violence and disturbing public order", he was released around 11pm after a lengthy interrogation. Reconvened to the judicial police on May 22, 2017 and questioned from 9am to 3pm, he was notified that an investigation for "incitement to revolt" against him remained open.

Niger

Gamatié Mahamadou YASSAMBOU

Arrêté·e le 22 June 2017
Libéré·e le 21 July 2017

Gamatié Mahamadou YASSAMBOU has been charged with "discrediting a constituted body" and "contempt of court" after criticizing on Facebook the arrests and trials of journalists and civil society actors, while denouncing corruption in the judiciary and a two-tier justice system. He is accused of "discrediting a constituted body" and "contempt of court". Incarcerated in Niamey civil prison, he was tried and released on July 21, 2017.

Niger

Abass Abdoul Aziz TANKO

Arrêté·e le 30 October 2017
Libéré·e le 24 November 2017

Activists Abass Abdoul Aziz Tanko, Abdoulaye Harouna, Djibo Issa were arrested on October 30, 2017, the day after a demonstration dispersed by security forces. Placed under committal order on November 2, they were charged with participation in a prohibited demonstration, armed assembly, theft and complicity in theft.

The demonstration had been initiated by a collective of civil society organizations with the aim of denouncing the 2018 finance bill. The collective had called on Abass Abdoul Aziz Tanko - president of the Information, Communication and Energy Technology Consumers' Rights Association (ACTICE) - and Abdoulaye Harouna and Djibo Issa to draft, sign and lodge a declaration of protest with Niamey's central town hall.

On the day of the rally, a group of demonstrators began shouting insults and inciting a march towards the Place de la Concertation. According to information obtained by Amnesty International, Abass Abdoul Aziz Tanko took the floor to relieve the organizers of responsibility for "anything that might happen". The demonstration was eventually dispersed by the security forces, who used tear gas. The ACTICE association was also dissolved the following day and banned from all activities nationwide by an order issued by the Minister of the Interior. According to information obtained by Amnesty International from their lawyer, none of the three activists arrested had called for or taken part in the violence.

Some twenty people, including six minors, were arrested on the day of the demonstration. They will also be tried in flagrante delicto on November 10.

On November 17, 2017, the prosecutor requested 5 years' imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 CFA francs (around €150) each. On October 30, 2017, the Ministry of the Interior issues an order prohibiting the organization from operating on national territory (Cf. Appendix 5). On the evening of November 24, 2017, the judge of the Niamey High Court, ruling that the facts were not established, ordered the release of the three activists and the return of all their property. The prosecutor refused and appealed. The case has been before the Court of Appeal ever since, with charges still pending against them. Despite a request, the Constitutional Court refused to rule on the case.

Niger

Abdoulaye HAROUNA

Arrêté·e le 30 October 2017
Libéré·e le 24 November 2017

Activists Abass Abdoul Aziz Tanko, Abdoulaye Harouna, Djibo Issa were arrested on October 30, 2017, the day after a demonstration dispersed by security forces. Placed under committal order on November 2, they were charged with participation in a prohibited demonstration, armed assembly, theft and complicity in theft.

The demonstration had been initiated by a collective of civil society organizations with the aim of denouncing the 2018 finance bill. The collective had called on Abass Abdoul Aziz Tanko - president of the Information, Communication and Energy Technology Consumers' Rights Association (ACTICE) - and Abdoulaye Harouna and Djibo Issa to draft, sign and lodge a declaration of protest with Niamey's central town hall.

On the day of the rally, a group of demonstrators began shouting insults and inciting a march towards the Place de la Concertation. According to information obtained by Amnesty International, Abass Abdoul Aziz Tanko took the floor to relieve the organizers of responsibility for "anything that might happen". The demonstration was eventually dispersed by the security forces, who used tear gas. The ACTICE association was also dissolved the following day and banned from all activities nationwide by an order issued by the Minister of the Interior. According to information obtained by Amnesty International from their lawyer, none of the three activists arrested had called for or taken part in the violence.

Some twenty people, including six minors, were arrested on the day of the demonstration. They will also be tried in flagrante delicto on November 10.

On November 17, 2017, the prosecutor requested 5 years' imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 CFA francs (around €150) each. On October 30, 2017, the Ministry of the Interior issues an order prohibiting the organization from operating on national territory (Cf. Appendix 5). On the evening of November 24, 2017, the judge of the Niamey High Court, ruling that the facts were not established, ordered the release of the three activists and the return of all their property. The prosecutor refused and appealed. The case has been before the Court of Appeal ever since, with charges still pending against them. Despite a request, the Constitutional Court refused to rule on the case.

Niger

Djibo ISSA YACOUBA

Arrêté·e le 30 October 2017
Libéré·e le 24 November 2017

Activists Abass Abdoul Aziz Tanko, Abdoulaye Harouna, Djibo Issa were arrested on October 30, 2017, the day after a demonstration dispersed by security forces. Placed under committal order on November 2, they were charged with participation in a prohibited demonstration, armed assembly, theft and complicity in theft.

The demonstration had been initiated by a collective of civil society organizations with the aim of denouncing the 2018 finance bill. The collective had called on Abass Abdoul Aziz Tanko - president of the Information, Communication and Energy Technology Consumers' Rights Association (ACTICE) - and Abdoulaye Harouna and Djibo Issa to draft, sign and lodge a declaration of protest with Niamey's central town hall.

On the day of the rally, a group of demonstrators began shouting insults and inciting a march towards the Place de la Concertation. According to information obtained by Amnesty International, Abass Abdoul Aziz Tanko took the floor to relieve the organizers of responsibility for "anything that might happen". The demonstration was eventually dispersed by the security forces, who used tear gas. The ACTICE association was also dissolved the following day and banned from all activities nationwide by an order issued by the Minister of the Interior. According to information obtained by Amnesty International from their lawyer, none of the three activists arrested had called for or taken part in the violence.

Some twenty people, including six minors, were arrested on the day of the demonstration. They will also be tried in flagrante delicto on November 10.

On November 17, 2017, the prosecutor requested 5 years' imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 CFA francs (around €150) each. On October 30, 2017, the Ministry of the Interior issues an order prohibiting the organization from operating on national territory (Cf. Appendix 5). On the evening of November 24, 2017, the judge of the Niamey High Court, ruling that the facts were not established, ordered the release of the three activists and the return of all their property. The prosecutor refused and appealed. The case has been before the Court of Appeal ever since, with charges still pending against them. Despite a request, the Constitutional Court refused to rule on the case.

Niger

Ali IDRISSA NANI

Arrêté·e le 25 March 2018
Libéré·e le 24 July 2018

Niger

Idrissa ADAMOU

Arrêté·e le 25 March 2018
Libéré·e le 24 July 2018

Niger

Maikoul ZODI

Arrêté·e le 15 April 2018
Libéré·e le 05 October 2018

Niger

Karim TONKO

Arrêté·e le 02 July 2018
Libéré·e le 05 October 2018

TLP-Niger member Karim TONKO is arrested for "organizing and participating in a prohibited demonstration, complicity in violence, assault and destruction of property" in Niamey and sent to Say prison. After numerous postponements of the trial, he was released on October 5, 2018, after the judge had ruled that the facts had not been established. The prosecutor then appealed the decision. To date and after three postponements, the trial has not yet been held at the Court of Appeal. According to article 100 of the French Penal Code, he risks "two to six months' imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 to 300,000 francs, or one of these two penalties only" (around €75 to €450).

Niger

Elh Mahamane Ilia Dan MALAM

Arrêté·e le 17 April 2018
Libéré·e le 20 November 2019

After denouncing in the media the ban on demonstrations for civil society and not for political parties, "if there's insecurity, it's for everyone", Elh Mahamane Ilia Dan MALAM known as Sadat, a member of TLP-Niger, was summoned to the Zinder police station. Kadri May DAWA, president of the Zinder branch of PNDS-Tarayya, had lodged a complaint against him for insult in the press, a decriminalized offence since 2011.
Knowing this, prosecutor Chaibou MOUSSA then reclassified the complaint as a "plot against state security with call for insurrectionary movement", becoming a plaintiff himself.

On May 6, 2018, he was sent far from his family to Matameye prison (a locality 85km from Zinder), where he would remain until November 20, 2019, more than 19 months without trial, whereas the maximum period of preventive detention in Niger is 12 months. Sadat was released on a technicality, but the prosecutor lodged a cassation appeal on November 21, 2019. Since then, the proceedings have been ongoing and the charges continue to weigh on him.

On September 23, 2019, Sadat's lawyer, sent a petition to the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to file a complaint against the State of Niger for human rights violations and request his client's release and fair compensation for the harm suffered. On June 22, 2021, the Court ordered the State of Niger "in view of the seriousness of the rights violated and their consequences for the applicant, [to pay Sadat], by way of compensation for the non-material damage he has suffered, the amount of 50,000,000 (fifty million) FCFA" (around €75,000).

Niger

Maikoul ZODI

Arrêté·e le 15 March 2020
Libéré·e le 29 September 2020

A demonstration against embezzlement at the Ministry of National Defense was violently dispersed by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), who threw tear gas grenades at the crowd, one of which reportedly fell on a canvas in the Tagabati market, setting it alight and killing at least three people.

The FDS then arrested 16 people at the demonstration site or at their homes between March 15 and 17, 2020. Some were accused of taking part in a prohibited demonstration (even though no prohibition order had been issued), while others were accused of complicity in homicide in connection with the deaths of three people on the sidelines of the demonstration. Nine of those arrested were released four days later.

Niger

Halidou MOUNKAILA

Arrêté·e le 15 March 2020
Libéré·e le 30 September 2020

A demonstration against embezzlement at the Ministry of National Defense was violently dispersed by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), who threw tear gas grenades at the crowd, one of which reportedly fell on a canvas in the Tagabati market, setting it alight and killing at least three people.

The FDS then arrested 16 people at the demonstration site or at their homes between March 15 and 17, 2020. Some were accused of taking part in a prohibited demonstration (even though no prohibition order had been issued), while others were accused of complicity in homicide in connection with the deaths of three people on the sidelines of the demonstration. Nine of those arrested were released four days later.

Niger

Moudi MOUSSA

Arrêté·e le 15 March 2020
Libéré·e le 30 September 2020

A demonstration against embezzlement at the Ministry of National Defense was violently dispersed by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), who threw tear gas grenades at the crowd, one of which reportedly fell on a canvas in the Tagabati market, setting it alight and killing at least three people.

The FDS then arrested 16 people at the demonstration site or at their homes between March 15 and 17, 2020. Some were accused of taking part in a prohibited demonstration (even though no prohibition order had been issued), while others were accused of complicity in homicide in connection with the deaths of three people on the sidelines of the demonstration. Nine of those arrested were released four days later, while Moudi MOUSSA, coordinator of TLP-Niamey, was sent to Kollo prison in the Tillabéri region, far from his family and in a region where jihadist attacks occur almost weekly. He was finally released without trial on September 30, 2020. Since September 15, 2020, he has been considered a "prisoner of conscience" by Amnesty International. His release remains conditional: the charges of "organization of a banned demonstration and complicity in destruction of public property, arson and manslaughter" against him have not been lifted, and he is still under the yoke of criminal proceedings. He faces up to 4 years' imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 CFA francs (around €450).

Niger

Habibou SOUMAILA

Arrêté·e le 15 March 2020
Libéré·e le 30 April 2020

A demonstration against embezzlement at the Ministry of National Defense was violently dispersed by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), who threw tear gas grenades at the crowd, one of which reportedly fell on a canvas in the Tagabati market, setting it alight and killing at least three people.

The FDS then arrested 16 people at the demonstration site or at their homes between March 15 and 17, 2020. Some were accused of taking part in a prohibited demonstration (even though no prohibition order had been issued), while others were accused of complicity in homicide in connection with the deaths of three people on the sidelines of the demonstration. Nine of those arrested were released four days later.

Niger

Karim TONKO

Arrêté·e le 15 March 2020
Libéré·e le 19 March 2020

A demonstration against embezzlement at the Ministry of National Defense was violently dispersed by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), who threw tear gas grenades at the crowd, one of which reportedly fell on a canvas in the Tagabati market, setting it alight and killing at least three people.

The FDS then arrested 16 people at the demonstration site or at their homes between March 15 and 17, 2020. Some were accused of having taken part in a banned demonstration (even though no banning order had been issued), while others were accused of complicity in homicide in connection with the deaths of three people on the sidelines of the demonstration. He was released four days later.

Niger

Ali IDRISSA NANI

Arrêté·e le 09 April 2020
Libéré·e le 14 April 2020

A demonstration against embezzlement at the Ministry of National Defense was violently dispersed by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), who threw tear gas grenades at the crowd, one of which reportedly fell on a canvas in the Tagabati market, setting it alight and killing at least three people.

The FDS then arrested 16 people at the demonstration site or at their homes between March 15 and 17, 2020. Some were accused of having taken part in a banned demonstration (even though no banning order had been issued), while others were accused of complicity in homicide in connection with the deaths of three people on the sidelines of the demonstration. He was released four days later.

Niger

Mahaman Lawali Mahaman NASSOUROU

Arrêté·e le 23 April 2020
Libéré·e le 19 May 2020

A demonstration against embezzlement at the Ministry of National Defense was violently dispersed by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), who threw tear gas grenades at the crowd, one of which reportedly fell on a canvas in the Tagabati market, setting it alight and killing at least three people.

The FDS then arrested 16 people at the demonstration site or at their homes between March 15 and 17, 2020. Some were accused of having taken part in a banned demonstration (even though no banning order had been issued), while others were accused of complicity in homicide in connection with the deaths of three people on the sidelines of the demonstration. He was released four days later.

Niger

Garba Dan Saley LAOUALI

Arrêté·e le 23 April 2020
Libéré·e le 27 April 2020

Garba Dan Saley LAOUALI, a member of TLP-Niger, is arrested and placed under a committal order in Maradi, accused of "disseminating information likely to disturb public order" for sharing a demonstration notice already in circulation on social networks. He was provisionally released on April 27, 2020, and faces "a prison sentence of six (6) months to three (3) years and a fine of one million (1,000,000) to five million (5,000,000) CFA francs" (around €1,500 to €7,600).

Niger

Elh Moustapha ADAM

Arrêté·e le 02 May 2020
Libéré·e le 30 July 2020

Niger

Boureima SOUMAILA

Arrêté·e le 03 June 2020
Libéré·e le 09 June 2020

Boureima SOUMEILA, a member of TLP-Niger, was arrested in Say following a voice message he had shared in a WhatsApp group, which someone in the group had taken advantage of to pass on to the authorities. He was arrested for "disseminating information likely to disturb public order" and sentenced on June 9, 2020 to a six-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 20,000 CFA francs (around €30). He appealed, but the proceedings are still pending.

Niger

Anas DJIBRIL

Arrêté·e le 24 March 2021
Libéré·e le 01 April 2022

Niger

Rhoumour MOUHAMET

Arrêté·e le 31 March 2021
Libéré·e le 04 April 2021

Rhoumour Mouhamet, a member of SG/BER-SYNACEB and Tournons La Page, was detained for sharing a publication in a WhatsApp group of which he was not the author.

Niger

Himou BOUBACAR

Arrêté·e le 05 December 2021
Libéré·e le 10 December 2021

Niger

Armadan MOUSSA

Arrêté·e le 10 December 2021
Libéré·e le 13 December 2021

On December 10, the world celebrates International Human Rights Day. On this day, as every year, Tournons La Page Niger organizes a democracy caravan: a dozen cabs filled with TLP-Niger members criss-cross the city of Niamey to raise citizens' awareness of respect for fundamental rights and the benefits of a democratic system. Processions are a daily activity in Niger, a common form of social mobilization. Every day, we see processions for weddings, funerals, invitations to events, to raise awareness of an idea, to sell a product... The procession is not subject to the law on demonstrations, and no declaration has to be filed in advance. Only a city ordinance banning processions on a particular day can prevent the activity from taking place.

But on that day, no such by-law had been issued. Nevertheless, the caravan was intercepted and 14 members of TLP-Niger (including journalists and taximans) were arrested and taken to Niamey's central police station. At the same time, plainclothes police officers violently arrested Mathieu POURCHIER, Project Manager for Agir ensemble pour les droits humains and Protection and Advocacy Officer for Tournons La Page, while he was riding his motorcycle elsewhere in the city. In the evening, nine members of TLP-Niger were released, while the remaining four - Armadan MOUSSA, Biliyaminou IDI, Moubarak HABOU, Hima HAMANI - and Mathieu POURCHIER were taken into custody at the central police station for "illegal assembly". Given the gravity of the symbolism of this arrest on this commemorative day, Clément Nyaletsossi VOULE, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of peaceful assembly and association, then on mission in the country, came to meet the prisoners in their cells. They remained locked up for 60 hours before being released provisionally in the early hours of December 13, 2021, following a strong international and national mobilization. The charges against them will be dropped on December 16, 2021.

Niger

Biliyaminou IDI

Arrêté·e le 10 December 2021
Libéré·e le 13 December 2021

On December 10, the world celebrates International Human Rights Day. On this day, as every year, Tournons La Page Niger organizes a democracy caravan: a dozen cabs filled with TLP-Niger members criss-cross the city of Niamey to raise citizens' awareness of respect for fundamental rights and the benefits of a democratic system. Processions are a daily activity in Niger, a common form of social mobilization. Every day, we see processions for weddings, funerals, invitations to events, to raise awareness of an idea, to sell a product... The procession is not subject to the law on demonstrations, and no declaration has to be filed in advance. Only a city ordinance banning processions on a particular day can prevent the activity from taking place.

But on that day, no such by-law had been issued. Nevertheless, the caravan was intercepted and 14 members of TLP-Niger (including journalists and taximans) were arrested and taken to Niamey's central police station. At the same time, plainclothes police officers violently arrested Mathieu POURCHIER, Project Manager for Agir ensemble pour les droits humains and Protection and Advocacy Officer for Tournons La Page, while he was riding his motorcycle elsewhere in the city. In the evening, nine members of TLP-Niger were released, while the remaining four - Armadan MOUSSA, Biliyaminou IDI, Moubarak HABOU, Hima HAMANI - and Mathieu POURCHIER were taken into custody at the central police station for "illegal assembly". Given the gravity of the symbolism of this arrest on this commemorative day, Clément Nyaletsossi VOULE, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of peaceful assembly and association, then on mission in the country, came to meet the prisoners in their cells. They remained locked up for 60 hours before being released provisionally in the early hours of December 13, 2021, following a strong international and national mobilization. The charges against them will be dropped on December 16, 2021.

Niger

Moubarak HABOU

Arrêté·e le 10 December 2021
Libéré·e le 13 December 2021

On December 10, the world celebrates International Human Rights Day. On this day, as every year, Tournons La Page Niger organizes a democracy caravan: a dozen cabs filled with TLP-Niger members criss-cross the city of Niamey to raise citizens' awareness of respect for fundamental rights and the benefits of a democratic system. Processions are a daily activity in Niger, a common form of social mobilization. Every day, we see processions for weddings, funerals, invitations to events, to raise awareness of an idea, to sell a product... The procession is not subject to the law on demonstrations, and no declaration has to be filed in advance. Only a city ordinance banning processions on a particular day can prevent the activity from taking place.

But on that day, no such by-law had been issued. Nevertheless, the caravan was intercepted and 14 members of TLP-Niger (including journalists and taximans) were arrested and taken to Niamey's central police station. At the same time, plainclothes police officers violently arrested Mathieu POURCHIER, Project Manager for Agir ensemble pour les droits humains and Protection and Advocacy Officer for Tournons La Page, while he was riding his motorcycle elsewhere in the city. In the evening, nine members of TLP-Niger were released, while the remaining four - Armadan MOUSSA, Biliyaminou IDI, Moubarak HABOU, Hima HAMANI - and Mathieu POURCHIER were taken into custody at the central police station for "illegal assembly". Given the gravity of the symbolism of this arrest on this commemorative day, Clément Nyaletsossi VOULE, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of peaceful assembly and association, then on mission in the country, came to meet the prisoners in their cells. They remained locked up for 60 hours before being released provisionally in the early hours of December 13, 2021, following a strong international and national mobilization. The charges against them will be dropped on December 16, 2021.

Niger

Hima HAMANI

Arrêté·e le 10 December 2021
Libéré·e le 13 December 2021

On December 10, the world celebrates International Human Rights Day. On this day, as every year, Tournons La Page Niger organizes a democracy caravan: a dozen cabs filled with TLP-Niger members criss-cross the city of Niamey to raise citizens' awareness of respect for fundamental rights and the benefits of a democratic system. Processions are a daily activity in Niger, a common form of social mobilization. Every day, we see processions for weddings, funerals, invitations to events, to raise awareness of an idea, to sell a product... The procession is not subject to the law on demonstrations, and no declaration has to be filed in advance. Only a city ordinance banning processions on a particular day can prevent the activity from taking place.

But on that day, no such by-law had been issued. Nevertheless, the caravan was intercepted and 14 members of TLP-Niger (including journalists and taximans) were arrested and taken to Niamey's central police station. At the same time, plainclothes police officers violently arrested Mathieu POURCHIER, Project Manager for Agir ensemble pour les droits humains and Protection and Advocacy Officer for Tournons La Page, while he was riding his motorcycle elsewhere in the city. In the evening, nine members of TLP-Niger were released, while the remaining four - Armadan MOUSSA, Biliyaminou IDI, Moubarak HABOU, Hima HAMANI - and Mathieu POURCHIER were taken into custody at the central police station for "illegal assembly". Given the gravity of the symbolism of this arrest on this commemorative day, Clément Nyaletsossi VOULE, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of peaceful assembly and association, then on mission in the country, came to meet the prisoners in their cells. They remained locked up for 60 hours before being released provisionally in the early hours of December 13, 2021, following a strong international and national mobilization. The charges against them will be dropped on December 16, 2021.

Niger

Mathieu POURCHIER

Arrêté·e le 10 December 2021
Libéré·e le 13 December 2021

On December 10, the world celebrates International Human Rights Day. On this day, as every year, Tournons La Page Niger organizes a democracy caravan: a dozen cabs filled with TLP-Niger members criss-cross the city of Niamey to raise citizens' awareness of respect for fundamental rights and the benefits of a democratic system. Processions are a daily activity in Niger, a common form of social mobilization. Every day, we see processions for weddings, funerals, invitations to events, to raise awareness of an idea, to sell a product... The procession is not subject to the law on demonstrations, and no declaration has to be filed in advance. Only a city ordinance banning processions on a particular day can prevent the activity from taking place.

But on that day, no such by-law had been issued. Nevertheless, the caravan was intercepted and 14 members of TLP-Niger (including journalists and taximans) were arrested and taken to Niamey's central police station. At the same time, plainclothes police officers violently arrested Mathieu POURCHIER, Project Manager for Agir ensemble pour les droits humains and Protection and Advocacy Officer for Tournons La Page, while he was riding his motorcycle elsewhere in the city. In the evening, nine members of TLP-Niger were released, while the remaining four - Armadan MOUSSA, Biliyaminou IDI, Moubarak HABOU, Hima HAMANI - and Mathieu POURCHIER were taken into custody at the central police station for "illegal assembly". Given the gravity of the symbolism of this arrest on this commemorative day, Clément Nyaletsossi VOULE, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of peaceful assembly and association, then on mission in the country, came to meet the prisoners in their cells. They remained locked up for 60 hours before being released provisionally in the early hours of December 13, 2021, following a strong international and national mobilization. The charges against them will be dropped on December 16, 2021.

Niger

Ahmed BELLO

Arrêté·e le 10 March 2022
Libéré·e le 12 March 2022

Ahmed Bello was arrested following a complaint from the local Gendarmerie Battalion Commander, who felt he had been defamed.

In a Facebook post, Ahmed Bello denounced the handling of a case of rape of a Bonkoukou secondary school pupil by a physical education teacher.

Niger

Mahaman Moutari Djibo Gajani

Arrêté·e le 25 May 2022
Libéré·e le 07 June 2022

Mahaman Moutari Djibo GAJANI (alias Moctar), an active member of TLP-Niger's Maradi regional coordination, was arrested and transferred to Tessaoua civil prison.

On Wednesday May 25, 2022, during an exchange in a WhatsApp group on the sale of cattle feed at moderate prices in the commune of Tessaoua, he alerted the Tessaoua town hall to the practice of diverting cattle feed intended for sale at moderate prices for the benefit of the population.

Two days later, on Friday May 27, 2022, Mr. Moutari was summoned to the Tessaoua police station on a complaint from the local mayor, who was also a member of the WhatsApp group in question, for defamation. However, nowhere in his comments did Mr. Moutari mention the mayor by name. Immediately after reporting to the police station, he was held in custody until May 30, when he was brought before the judge who referred him to the Tessaoua civil prison.

It has been clearly established that the interested party was merely acting as a citizen's watchdog, drawing the attention of the local authorities to the calamitous management of the town's resources. As a reminder, in the same locality, during a popular demonstration, the population set fire to the premises of the same town hall in 2020 for misappropriation of public funds. It was with a view to preventing this kind of outburst that Mr. Moutari wanted to draw attention to the issue in the discussion group.

Following the trial on June 7, 2022, at the lawyer's request, he was granted provisional release. Mr. Moutari's trial was postponed to June 28, 2022 in Tessaoua: he received a 3-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 500,000 FCFA.

Niger

Abdoulaye ANAWAR

Arrêté·e le 03 October 2022
Toujours en prison

On September 13, 2022, Abdoulaye ANAWAR, a member of TLP Niger and promoter of Web TV Wangari, posted a story on his Facebook account in which he called out a woman for an act of uncivil behavior. He was arrested on October 3, 2022 and placed in Niamey civil prison following a complaint from the woman.

+33.1.45.49.70.97
contact@tournonslapage.org