The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a collaborative initiative by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), emphatically condemns the dissolution of five justice sector trade unions in Niger. These actions were implemented via decrees issued by the Minister of Interior, Public Security, and Territorial Administration on August 7, 2025. This was swiftly followed by the expulsion of two leading magistrates from the Autonomous Union of Magistrates of Niger (Saman) for their vocal criticism of these dissolutions. The Observatory urgently calls upon the authorities in Niger to immediately reverse these decisions and uphold fundamental liberties, including the rights to association and trade union freedom, in line with both national and international commitments.

Paris, Geneva, August 21, 2025. On August 7, 2025, General Mohamed Toumba, Niger’s Minister of Interior, signed five decrees that officially dissolved Saman, the Union of Magistrates of Niger (Uman), the National Union of Justice Agents (Snaj), the Union of Cadres and Technical Agents of the Ministry of Justice (Syncat), and the Independent Union of Magistrates of Niger (Siman). Significantly, these ministerial decrees provided no stated justification for the dissolutions.

The following day, August 8, 2025, Minister of Justice Alio Daouda asserted in a press briefing that these governmental measures were enacted due to “repeated deviations detrimental to the effective functioning of public service.” He further claimed that the unions had “strayed” from their designated roles by prioritizing “personal interests.” In response, Saman and the Niger Bar Association announced a symbolic strike for August 14 and 15, 2025, to protest these decrees.

The government’s decision to dissolve the unions reportedly relied on an unsuitable ordinance, thereby contravening the Labor Code and the recognized trade union freedom within Niger. According to a communiqué issued on Saturday, August 9, 2025, by the Union of Workers’ Unions of Niger (USTN), Ordinance N°84-06 of March 1, 1984, pertaining to associations in Niger, which served as the basis for the ministerial decrees, is exclusively applicable to non-profit associations. It does not apply to trade unions, which fall under a distinct legal framework, specifically the Labor Code of the Republic of Niger (Law N°2012-45 of September 25, 2012) and international conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) ratified by Niger. Lacking a proper legal foundation, these dissolutions are consequently invalid and cannot be enforced against the unions.

Magistrate union leaders who dared to challenge these unlawful dissolutions subsequently faced severe executive sanctions. On August 14, 2025, Niger’s President, Abdourahamane Tiani, issued a presidential decree to dismiss and exclude M. Abdoul-Nasser Bagna Abdourahamane, Secretary General of Saman, from the magistracy. This punitive action followed Abdoul-Nasser Bagna Abdourahamane’s criticisms regarding the judicial unions’ dissolution on August 7, 2025, and his request for a right of reply to the Justice Minister’s press briefing on August 8. Less than 24 hours later, on August 15, 2025, President Tiani issued another presidential decree to dismiss and exclude M. Moussa Mahamadou, Deputy Secretary General of Saman, from the magistracy. This dismissal was a direct consequence of a union communiqué, signed by Moussa Mahamadou, which condemned the sanction against his superior and called for a general strike—a strike deemed illegal by Nigerien authorities—until Abdoul-Nasser Bagna Abdourahamane was reinstated.

The dissolution of justice sector unions raises profound concerns regarding the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, both cornerstones of a democratic state. These dissolutions, enacted through administrative decisions, represent a severe infringement upon fundamental freedoms, primarily the freedom of association, as recognized by Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Niger is a party, and Article 36 of Niger’s Charter of Refoundation of March 26, 2025. The Niger Bar Association has also denounced “the compromise of trade union freedom, judicial independence, freedom of expression, and to some extent, even the right to defense.”

These measures also violate the right to trade union freedom, which is safeguarded by several international commitments made by Niger. These include Articles 10 and subsequent articles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Articles 21 and 22 of the ICCPR, ILO Convention No. 87 concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, ratified by Niger in 1961, ILO Convention No. 98 concerning the Application of the Principles of the Right to Organise and to Bargain Collectively, ratified in 1962 by Niger, and Article 38 of Niger’s Charter of Refoundation of March 26, 2025. These instruments collectively guarantee the right of workers and employers to form organizations for the defense of their professional interests.

The Observatory notes with deep concern that these dissolution and expulsion decisions appear to be part of a broader attempt to intimidate and silence the judiciary. These actions unfold within a climate characterized by a shrinking civic space and repeated assaults on the fundamental rights of all dissenting voices. On numerous occasions, the rights to freedom of expression, opinion, association, assembly, and demonstration have been violated, particularly through arbitrary arrests and detentions of human rights defenders, including M. Moussa Tchangari, who has been arbitrarily detained for nearly nine months. His detention followed his participation in a meeting of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and his criticism of the Nigerien Minister of Interior’s decision to revoke the licenses of two humanitarian organizations.

The Observatory reiterates that safeguarding trade union rights and upholding judicial independence are fundamental pillars of the rule of law and democracy. The Observatory urges Nigerien authorities to immediately revoke the decrees dissolving the five justice sector unions and to reinstate Abdoul-Nasser Bagna Abdourahamane and Moussa Mahamadou into the magistracy without delay. The Observatory condemns all forms of harassment, intimidation, or sanctions against trade unions and human rights defenders and demands full respect for freedom of association and trade union rights, in strict accordance with Niger’s national and international obligations.