Human rights watch urges Niger’s junta to release detained ex-president Bazoum

Wednesday 23 July 2025 - 14:00

Two years after Niger’s elected president Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown in a military coup, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the ruling junta to immediately release him from arbitrary detention. The organization emphasized that Bazoum, along with his wife Hadiza, has been held without trial since July 26, 2023, confined to a wing of the presidential palace in Niamey.

“Authorities in Niger should release former president Mohamed Bazoum, who remains arbitrarily detained two years after being ousted,” HRW said in a statement published on Wednesday. Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior researcher on the Sahel for HRW, denounced the junta’s actions, stating: “The military regime demonstrates its disregard for the rule of law by continuing to detain Bazoum and his wife without legal justification.”

Although the junta announced plans to prosecute Bazoum for crimes including “plotting against state security” and “high treason”—the latter carrying the death penalty—no legal proceedings have been initiated to date. In 2024, a newly established military court lifted Bazoum’s presidential immunity, paving the way for prosecution, but the process remains stalled.

Bazoum’s legal team has turned to international institutions for support, appealing to the ECOWAS Court of Justice and the United Nations, both of which have declared his detention unlawful and called for his immediate release.

HRW also highlighted broader concerns about the junta’s increasing authoritarianism, citing repression of political opposition, media restrictions, and delays in the promised transition to civilian rule. “The abuses against Bazoum exemplify a wider crackdown aimed at consolidating military power at the expense of democratic norms,” HRW concluded.