Amnesty international urges Niger’s cnsp to free detained journalist samira sabou

In response to the alarming forced disappearance of Samira Sabou, a prominent Nigerien journalist and blogger, who was abducted from her home on September 30 by masked individuals identifying as security personnel, Ousmane Diallo, a Sahel researcher at Amnesty International’s regional office for West and Central Africa, has issued a strong statement:

We are deeply alarmed by Samira Sabou’s enforced disappearance and urgently call upon the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) to immediately disclose her whereabouts and ensure her swift, unconditional release. Should the authorities genuinely be unaware of her detention location, they are obligated to investigate and ascertain it without delay. Each passing day constitutes a further infringement on Samira Sabou’s fundamental rights to liberty and a fair trial, while also exposing her to the grave risk of torture or other forms of ill-treatment.

Ousmane Diallo, Sahel Researcher, Amnesty International Regional Office for West and Central Africa

Samira Sabou is a human rights advocate and anti-corruption activist renowned for her deep commitment. Her forced disappearance is highly likely linked to her outspoken activism and recent critiques regarding arbitrary arrests carried out by the CNSP.

“Niger is a signatory to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. We implore the CNSP to uphold its human rights obligations under both national and international law, which include prohibiting enforced disappearances and safeguarding the rights to freedom of expression and press freedom. Furthermore, we urge them to respect and protect human rights defenders, whose rights are enshrined in Articles 4, 6, and 7 of the June 2022 law concerning the rights and duties of human rights defenders, as well as by international statutes.”

Further Details

Samira Sabou holds the distinction of being a journalist, an activist, and the president of Niger’s bloggers association. On September 30, 2023, she was apprehended at her mother’s residence in Niamey by several masked individuals who identified themselves as members of the security forces. These men presented their professional identification cards and insisted that Samira accompany them into a vehicle, where she was then blindfolded and transported to a location unknown to her family and legal counsel. Neither her family nor her lawyer has been able to establish contact with her since her apprehension, nor ascertain her whereabouts. The criminal investigations department of the Niamey police also asserts no knowledge of the incident.

Other infringements on the right to freedom of expression have recently been documented against individuals simply exercising this fundamental liberty.

On October 3, Samira Ibrahim, a social media user also known by her alias “Precious Mimi,” received a six-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 300,000 CFA francs (approximately 479 USD). Her conviction stemmed from charges of “producing data likely to disturb public order,” specifically relating to a Facebook post where she commented on Algeria’s non-recognition of Niger’s new government.