July 8, 2026 — The decision follows a formal complaint lodged by the International League Against Arbitrary Detention (ILAAD) and sustained advocacy from civil society groups, including the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. On March 23, 2026, the UN Working Group adopted Opinion No. 4/2026, which was made public on June 23, 2026, concluding that Mr. Tiangari’s detention is arbitrary and violates multiple international human rights standards.
Moussa Tiangari, Secretary-General of Alternative Espaces Citoyens (AEC), a Niamey-based organization advocating for human rights, migrant rights, and democratic values, was forcibly taken from his home in Niamey on December 3, 2024. He was held incommunicado for nearly 48 hours, raising grave concerns about possible torture and ill-treatment. On December 5, 2024, he was located in the custody of the Central Service for Combating Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime (SCLCT/CTO) in Niamey, where he was placed under detention. He was formally charged by the investigating judge of the High Court of Niamey on January 3, 2025.
His arrest occurred just hours after his return from Abuja, Nigeria, where he attended the board meeting of the Nigerian Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), a partner organization of AEC. Days earlier, he had traveled to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to participate in the seventh edition of the Humanitarium Itinerant conference organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on November 28, 2024. The event commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions and focused on humanitarian challenges and the need to uphold international humanitarian law. A journalist with ties to Nigerien authorities accused him in a December 4, 2024 article of making statements during the conference that allegedly harmed Niger’s national interests. Earlier that same day, AEC had hosted a critical conference on the military regime’s decision to revoke the nationality of certain citizens—an event attended by the Prosecutor of the High Court of Niamey and former officials, including a former Minister of Justice.
The UN Working Group found Mr. Tiangari’s detention arbitrary due to the lack of legal basis, serious violations of his right to a fair trial, and discriminatory motives tied to his exercise of fundamental freedoms—freedom of opinion and expression on matters of public interest, participation in public affairs, peaceful assembly, and association. The Group determined that Niger’s authorities have violated Articles 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 19, 20, and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles 2, 9, 14, 16, 19, 21, 22, 25, and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders condemns the continued arbitrary detention of Moussa Tiangari at the high-security prison in Filingué, despite the unequivocal findings of the UN Working Group. He faces charges of “apology for terrorism” (Article 399.1.17 (bis) of the Nigerien Penal Code), “attacks on state security” (Articles 62 and following), “criminal association linked to a terrorist enterprise” (Article 399.1.19 (new)), “attacks on national defense” (Articles 66 and following), and “conspiracy against the authority of the state in collusion with foreign powers” (Articles 62 and following). If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
As recently as May 15, 2026, the Appeals Chamber of the specialized counter-terrorism and transnational organized crime court in Niamey rejected his request for provisional release. Yet, under Article 615 of Order No. 2026-10 of February 16, 2026, which establishes the new Code of Criminal Procedure, pretrial detention in terrorism cases may not exceed twelve months, renewable once. Mr. Tiangari has been detained for over a year and a half. On June 19, 2026, his legal team filed a motion with the specialized Appeals Chamber to compel his release. However, on June 26, 2026, the court issued Order No. 2026-35, retroactively amending Article 615 to extend the maximum pretrial detention period to four years in criminal matters, renewable once. His lawyers warn this change may be a deliberate attempt to prolong his detention.
This is not the first time Moussa Tiangari has been arbitrarily detained. In May 2015, he was held for ten days and charged with “attacks on national defense” and “statements likely to demoralize troops” for reports published by AEC. In March 2018, he was arrested again and detained for four months on charges related to organizing and participating in an unauthorized protest against the 2018 finance law, including accusations of complicity in violence and destruction of property. In March 2020, he was once more arrested and held for a month and a half following an anti-corruption demonstration denouncing embezzlement in military procurement.
Mr. Tiangari’s case reflects a broader pattern of repression since the July 27, 2023 coup d’état in Niger. Civic space has shrunk dramatically, with repeated violations of fundamental rights—freedom of expression, opinion, association, assembly, and protest—through arbitrary arrests, detentions, and nationality revocations targeting human rights defenders and dissenting voices.
The Observatory urges Niger’s authorities to comply immediately with the UN Working Group’s opinion by releasing Moussa Tiangari without delay, dropping all charges against him, ensuring his right to reparations, and conducting an independent and thorough investigation into his arbitrary detention and allegations of torture and ill-treatment. Additionally, the Observatory calls for an end to all forms of judicial harassment against Mr. Tiangari and all human rights defenders in Niger. Authorities must uphold Niger’s obligations under international human rights law, particularly Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, both of which guarantee the right to freedom of expression.
