July 8, 2026 — Human rights advocates have hailed a recent United Nations decision that confirms the unlawful detention of Moussa Tiangari, Secretary-General of Alternative Espaces Citoyens (AEC), a Nigerien organization promoting human rights and democratic values. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued its opinion on March 23, 2026, but only made it public on June 23, 2026, following a complaint filed by the International League Against Arbitrary Detention (ILAAD) and sustained advocacy by civil society groups.
Tiangari’s ordeal began on December 3, 2024, when he was forcibly taken from his home in Niamey. For nearly 48 hours, his whereabouts were unknown, raising grave concerns about potential torture or ill-treatment. On December 5, 2024, he was located in the custody of Niamey’s Central Service for Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime (SCLCT/CTO). Formal charges were filed against him by the examining magistrate of Niamey’s High Court on January 3, 2025, marking the start of a prolonged judicial harassment.
The timing of his arrest coincided with his return from Abuja, Nigeria, where he had attended the board meeting of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), a partner organization of AEC. Just days earlier, he had traveled to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to participate in the seventh edition of the Humanitarium Itinérant conference on November 28, 2024. Organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, the event focused on challenges to humanitarian action and the importance of upholding international humanitarian law. A pro-government journalist accused Tiangari in a December 4, 2024 article of making statements detrimental to Niger’s interests during the conference. Additionally, AEC had hosted a critical conference on November 28, 2024, addressing the controversial deprivation of nationality imposed by Niger’s military regime, which included participation from the Republic’s prosecutor and former officials, including a former Justice Minister.
In its ruling, the UN Working Group concluded that Tiangari’s detention is arbitrary due to the absence of legal justification, severe violations of his right to a fair trial, and discriminatory motives tied to his exercise of freedom of opinion, expression, and peaceful assembly. The group found that Niger’s authorities violated multiple articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including provisions on freedom of expression, fair trial rights, and protection from discrimination.
Despite the UN’s clear ruling, Tiangari remains imprisoned at the high-security prison in Filingué. He faces charges including apology for terrorism (Article 399.1.17 (bis) of the Nigerien Penal Code), endangering state security (Articles 62 and following), association with a terrorist enterprise (Article 399.1.19), endangering national defense (Articles 66 and following), and conspiracy against state authority in collusion with foreign powers (Articles 62 and following). If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
On May 15, 2026, Niamey’s specialized anti-terrorism appeals chamber rejected his request for provisional release. Legal experts note that the ordinance establishing the new Code of Criminal Procedure (Ordinance No. 2026-10 of February 16, 2026) initially capped pretrial detention in terrorism cases at 12 months, renewable once. Tiangari has now been detained for over 18 months. Following his lawyers’ June 19, 2026 petition for his release, authorities retroactively amended the ordinance on June 26, 2026, extending the maximum pretrial detention period to four years, renewable once—raising concerns about the law’s misuse to prolong his detention.
This is not the first time Tiangari has faced arbitrary detention. In May 2015, he was held for 10 days and charged with endangering national defense and demoralizing troops for publishing AEC reports. In March 2018, he was arrested and detained for four months for organizing and participating in unauthorized protests against the 2018 finance law, facing charges of complicity in violence and property destruction. In March 2020, he was again detained for a month and a half following an anti-corruption protest denouncing embezzlement in military procurement.
Tiangari’s case reflects a broader pattern since the July 27, 2023 coup d’état, which has seen a systematic narrowing of civic space in Niger. Independent voices, activists, and civil society organizations have faced repeated violations of fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, assembly, and association, alongside arbitrary arrests and citizenship revocations.
Human rights organizations urge Nigerien authorities to comply with the UN’s decision by immediately releasing Tiangari, dropping all charges against him, ensuring his right to reparations, and conducting an independent investigation into his unlawful detention and allegations of torture or ill-treatment. They also call for an end to the judicial harassment targeting Tiangari and other defenders of human rights in Niger. Authorities must uphold Niger’s obligations under international law, particularly the right to freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.