On October 10, Niger’s junta leader, Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, signed a decree provisionally striking off Nigerien nationality from 9 of us linked to frail President Mohamed Bazoum, who become ousted in July 2023 and stays wrongfully detained. The decree depends upon an earlier reveal setting up a database of of us suspected of terrorism.
All 9 held senior positions in Bazoum’s authorities and are all currently in exile. Among them are Rhissa Ag Boula, Bazoum’s frail handbook; Karingama Wali Ibrahim, frail head of the presidential guard; Gen. Mahamadou Abou Tarka, head of the High Authority for the Consolidation of Peace, which seeks to implement peace processes with insurrection groups; and Amadou N’Gade Hamid and Abdou Pagoui Hamidine, both frail cupboard contributors.
The decree accuses the 9 of us of “conducting activities likely to disturb public peace and security” and “conspiracy against the State and treason,” amongst different prices. In September 2023, the junta had issued wanted notices towards 20 personalities in Bazoum’s authorities, along side some now deprived of their nationality.
“Niger is drifting,” Abdou Pagoui, the frail cupboard member, commended Human Rights Survey. “Otherwise, how can you explain that in a country facing security challenges, including terrorism, rebellions and cross-border banditry, a political opponent is more dangerous than a terrorist or a rebel leader?”
Human Rights Survey has expressed concerns about the terrorism database not meeting international human rights requirements by setting overbroad criteria for inclusion, depriving these listed of due process, and lacking an ample mechanism to charm. It also jeopardizes privacy rights and will enhance the difficulty of statelessness. Niger is a event to the United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which prohibits depriving any person of their nationality if it will bound away them stateless. A kind of affected said eight out of the 9 of us stripped of their nationality handiest possess a Nigerien passport.
Without nationality, folk and their families is at effort of be deprived of ethical and social protections abroad and averted from returning to Niger, which is their staunch below international human rights regulations. The authorities could well moreover peaceable extinguish taking half in politics with the rights of citizens, revoke the decree, and suspend the utilization of the terrorism database.
Ilaria Allegrozzi, Senior Sahel Researcher
