Authorities in Niger should immediately release former President Mohamed Bazoum, who remains arbitrarily detained two years after he was ousted in a military coup, Human Rights Watch said today.
On July 26, 2023, Nigerien army officers of the self-proclaimed National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil National pour la sauveguarde de la patrie, CNSP), led by Brig. Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, overthrew Bazoum’s government and arrested him and his wife, Hadiza Bazoum. The couple remain in custody at the presidential palace in the capital, Niamey, with no access to family members or lawyers. Bazoum also faces an impending trial after the ruling junta lifted his presidential immunity in 2024.
“Niger’s military junta demonstrates its contempt for the rule of law every day it detains former President Bazoum and his wife,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “His politically motivated detention and prosecution discredit any junta claims to a more democratic Niger.”
In August 2023, the junta announced plans to prosecute Bazoum for “high treason” and undermining national security but never brought him before a judge for preliminary hearings.
In September, Bazoum filed a petition with the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), citing violations of human rights against him and his family during his detention. In December, the ECOWAS court ruled that Bazoum was arbitrarily detained and called for his release. In January 2025, Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, formally withdrew from ECOWAS.
In April 2024, the authorities initiated legal proceedings against Bazoum to lift his presidential immunity so he could be prosecuted for alleged crimes committed during his presidency. In June, a court ruled against him following a proceeding that failed to meet basic due process and international fair trial standards. With Bazoum’s immunity removed, the junta announced its intention to prosecute him for high treason. A trial date has not been set.
In February 2025, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, an independent expert body that investigates deprivation of liberty, found that the detention of Bazoum and his wife was arbitrary, in violation of international human rights law, and called for their immediate release.
“Bazoum has been cruelly and unlawfully locked away for two years: without charge or trial, unable to speak to his children, his supporters, or even his lawyers,” said Reed Brody, a member of Bazoum’s legal team. “Despite clear rulings from international courts and UN bodies demanding his release, he remains the hostage of a military junta.”
The abuses against Bazoum are emblematic of a military junta that has cracked down on the political opposition, peaceful dissent, and the media, and that appears to intend to solidify its power, delaying a transition to civilian rule and credible, free, and fair elections, Human Rights Watch said.
“Each day Bazoum spends in detention moves Niger further away from a democratic path,” Allegrozzi said. “Two years on, Niger’s authorities should reconsider what type of message his continued detention sends across the region and the world.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
