Niger: stop arbitrary detention of human rights activist Moussa Tiangari

Human rights organizations are calling on Niger authorities to immediately release Moussa Tiangari, a prominent civil society activist and human rights defender, and halt the misuse of terrorism charges against dissenting voices.

On December 3, 2024, plainclothes officers arrested Tiangari at his Niamey home. By January 3, 2025, the Niamey High Court had charged him with serious offenses, including ‘association with terrorist enterprises,’ ‘undermining national defense,’ and ‘conspiring against state authority in collusion with foreign powers.’ If convicted of the latter charge, he could face the death penalty.

Since his arrest, Tiangari has been held in Filingué prison, 170 km from Niamey, without any judicial review of the charges against him. No judge has examined the validity of his detention.

“Moussa Tiangari is imprisoned solely for exercising his human rights,” said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s interim West and Central Africa director. “Authorities must release him immediately and drop all charges. Using such accusations to silence critics is deeply alarming.”

Weeks before his arrest, Tiangari had publicly criticized the government’s decision to revoke the licenses of two humanitarian NGOs and the creation of a terrorism registry that threatens citizens’ rights. Under Niger’s penal code, terrorism-related charges can lead to up to four years of pre-trial detention—though none of the accusations against him qualify as recognized international offenses.

“Tiangari’s arrest is part of a broader pattern of repression,” said Drissa Traoré, FIDH Secretary-General. “Authorities systematically target and harass critics to silence dissent.”

Ilaria Allegrozzi, Human Rights Watch’s Senior Sahel Researcher, added: “His detention sends a chilling message to those challenging Niger’s democratic backsliding.”

Isidore Ngueuleu, OMCT’s Africa Regional Director, stated: “Tiangari has long embodied Niger’s call for democracy and resource sovereignty. A government that respects its people’s will would release him.”

Key details of Moussa Tiangari’s detention

Moussa Tiangari, 55, is Secretary-General of Alternatives Espaces Citoyens (AEC), a civil society group. On December 3, 2024, at around 7:30 PM, armed men in civilian clothing arrested him at home, seizing his phone, laptop, and luggage. His whereabouts were unknown for two days before he was located at Niamey’s Central Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit.

In March and May 2025, courts rejected motions by his legal team to dismiss the case and transfer it out of the specialized counter-terrorism chamber. His lawyers have appealed these rulings.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, FIDH, and OMCT have jointly demanded Tiangari’s unconditional release. Amnesty’s members have actively campaigned for his freedom.

In July 2024, the groups warned in a joint statement about escalating repression against opposition figures, media, and peaceful dissent since the July 2023 military takeover. A March 2025 Amnesty report also documented the suppression of former officials and critics.