A coalition of civil society organisations across West Africa has called for the immediate and unconditional release of prominent Nigerien journalist and human rights defender, Moussa Tchangari, following a United Nations finding that his detention is arbitrary.
The organisations, in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, said the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had declared Tchangari’s detention contrary to international human rights law.
They said the UN finding reinforced concerns raised by civil society organisations, human rights defenders and international partners since Tchangari’s arrest on December 3, 2024, arguing that his detention was politically motivated and violated fundamental due process guarantees.
According to the coalition, the UN Working Group has called on the Nigerien authorities to immediately release Tchangari, provide appropriate reparations, investigate the circumstances surrounding his detention and hold those responsible accountable.
The organisations said the UN determination had strengthened international calls for an end to Tchangari’s continued detention, which they described as unjustifiable under international law.
Tchangari, who is the Secretary-General of Alternative Espaces Citoyens, has for more than three decades advocated democracy, human rights, social justice and accountable governance in Niger and the wider West African region.
The coalition said his arrest shortly after returning from Abuja, Nigeria, where he had participated in discussions on democracy, civic engagement and African solidarity, had sent “a chilling signal” to civil society actors across West Africa.
It said Tchangari had remained in detention under terrorism-related charges without trial, despite repeated efforts by his legal team to secure his release.
The organisations also linked his continued detention to what they described as a broader shrinking of civic space in Niger, with national security and terrorism-related offences allegedly being used against journalists, activists and critics.
“States have a legitimate responsibility to safeguard public safety, but this responsibility must always be exercised within the framework of the rule of law and in accordance with regional and international human rights obligations,” the coalition said.
The groups expressed concern that Tchangari’s continued detention, despite the UN finding, raised questions about due process, judicial independence and respect for the rights to liberty, fair trial and freedom of expression.
They consequently demanded that the Nigerien authorities immediately and unconditionally release Tchangari and implement the recommendations of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
They further called for guarantees of his rights to due process and fair trial, as well as adequate access to his family and legal representatives pending his release.
The coalition also urged the Nigerien authorities to end the use of terrorism-related charges and other criminal provisions to silence peaceful civic engagement and legitimate criticism.
It called on the African Union, the United Nations, diplomatic missions and the international community to maintain pressure on the Nigerien authorities to comply with international human rights obligations and protect civic space.
The organisations said the issue extended beyond Niger, warning that democracy could not flourish in West Africa where journalists, human rights defenders and civic actors faced arbitrary detention for exercising fundamental freedoms.
The statement was endorsed by 79 civil society organisations from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Burkina Faso and Senegal, including the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), Amnesty International Nigeria, Transparency International Nigeria, SERAP, Media Rights Agenda, Yiaga Africa and other regional and national groups.
