Responding to the enforced disappearance of Samira Sabou, a Nigerien journalist and blogger who was abducted from her home on September 30 by masked individuals identifying themselves as security service members, Ousmane Diallo, a Sahel researcher at Amnesty International’s regional office for West and Central Africa, stated:
We are deeply concerned by the enforced disappearance of Samira Sabou and call on the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) to immediately disclose her whereabouts and ensure her swift and unconditional release. If authorities genuinely do not know where she is being held, they must investigate and uncover this information without delay. Each passing day further violates Samira Sabou’s right to liberty and a fair trial, while also exposing her to the risk of torture or other forms of ill-treatment.
Ousmane Diallo, Sahel researcher at Amnesty International’s regional office for West and Central Africa
Samira Sabou is a dedicated advocate for human rights and a vocal critic of corruption. It is highly probable that her enforced disappearance is directly linked to her fervent activism and recent condemnations of arbitrary arrests carried out by the CNSP.
“Niger has ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. We strongly urge the CNSP to uphold its human rights obligations under both national and international law, which include prohibiting enforced disappearances and safeguarding the rights to freedom of expression and press freedom. We also demand that they respect and protect human rights defenders, whose rights are guaranteed by Articles 4, 6, and 7 of the June 2022 law on the rights and duties of human rights defenders, as well as by international law.”
Further details
Samira Sabou serves as a journalist, activist, and president of Niger’s bloggers association. On September 30, 2023, she was apprehended at her mother’s residence in Niamey by several masked men who identified themselves as members of the security forces. These masked individuals presented their professional identification and insisted that Samira accompany them into a vehicle, where she was blindfolded and transported to an unknown location, inaccessible to her family and lawyer. Neither her family nor her legal counsel has been able to communicate with her or ascertain her whereabouts since her arrest. The Niamey police’s criminal investigation department also claims to have no knowledge of her case.
Other infringements have recently been perpetrated against individuals merely exercising their right to freedom of expression.
On October 3, Samira Ibrahim, a social media user also known as “Precious Mimi,” received a six-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 300,000 CFA francs (approximately 479 USD) for “producing data likely to disturb public order.” Her charges stemmed from a Facebook post in which she referenced Algeria’s refusal to acknowledge Niger’s new government.
