Global human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), are demanding the immediate release of Moussa Tiangari. The groups insist that the Nigerien government stop using anti-terrorism legislation as a tool to stifle peaceful dissent.

On December 3, 2024, Moussa Tiangari was taken from his home in Niamey by individuals claiming to be police officers. By early January 2025, he was officially charged with several major offenses, including conspiring against state authority and collaborating with enemy forces. These accusations carry severe potential penalties, including the death sentence.

Prolonged detention without trial

Following his indictment, Tiangari was moved to a detention facility in Filingué, located roughly 170 kilometers from the capital. He remains in preventive custody there, yet he has not been granted a hearing before a judge to address the validity of the allegations against him. Advocates argue that his imprisonment is purely a reaction to his human rights work.

Marceau Sivieude, representing Amnesty International, emphasized that Tiangari is being held solely for practicing his fundamental rights. He urged the authorities in Niger to drop all charges, expressing alarm over the trend of using legal systems to silence critics.

Criticism of government policy

The legal actions against Tiangari followed his public opposition to specific government measures. In late 2024, he used social media to critique the revocation of licenses for two humanitarian NGOs and the establishment of a controversial database for tracking individuals suspected of terrorism. These criticisms have put him at risk of losing his Nigerien citizenship under new national security ordinances.

Legal experts from the involved human rights groups have reviewed the case, concluding that the charges do not reflect internationally recognized crimes. Instead, they appear to be a direct consequence of Tiangari exercising his right to free speech.

A climate of escalating repression

Drissa Traoré of the FIDH noted that this case is part of a broader strategy of judicial harassment aimed at anyone who speaks out against the current administration. Similarly, Ilaria Allegrozzi from Human Rights Watch warned that such detentions serve as a warning to those who oppose the country’s shift toward authoritarianism.

Isidore Ngueuleu of the OMCT highlighted Tiangari’s long-standing commitment to democracy and resource sovereignty in Niger, calling his arrest a counterproductive mistake for a government that claims to respect the people’s will.

Case background

Moussa Tiangari, 55, serves as the secretary general for Alternatives Espaces Citoyens (AEC). During his arrest in Niamey, security forces confiscated his personal electronics and belongings. His whereabouts were unknown for two days before he was located at a counter-terrorism center.

Despite multiple legal attempts by his defense team to have the case dismissed or moved to a different jurisdiction, Nigerien courts have consistently rejected these requests. The defense continues to appeal these rulings while international pressure for his unconditional release grows.

Since the political shift in July 2023, human rights monitors have documented an increasing crackdown on the media, political opposition, and peaceful activists across Niger, signaling a significant decline in civil liberties.