July 8, 2026. The Observatory commends Opinion No. 4/2026, adopted on March 23, 2026, and officially released on June 23, 2026, by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (GTDA). This crucial opinion unequivocally labels Mr. Moussa Tiangari’s deprivation of liberty as “arbitrary.” The GTDA’s determination follows a complaint lodged by the International League Against Arbitrary Detention (ILAAD), alongside sustained advocacy from civil society, including the Observatory, which has repeatedly called for his immediate freedom.
On December 3, 2024, Moussa Tiangari, who serves as the Secretary General of Alternative Espaces Citoyens (AEC) – a Nigerien organization dedicated to human rights, migrant rights, and the promotion of democratic values – was abducted from his Niamey residence. He was subsequently held incommunicado for approximately 48 hours, raising serious concerns about potential torture and ill-treatment during this period. By December 5, 2024, Mr. Tiangari was located at the Central Service for Combating Terrorism and Organized Transnational Crime (SCLCT/CTO) in Niamey, where he was formally placed in police custody. The dean of investigating judges at the Niamey High Court then formally charged him on January 3, 2025.
His arrest coincided with his return to Niger from Abuja, Nigeria, where he had participated in a board meeting for the Nigerian Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), an organization partnered with AEC. Days prior, he had traveled to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to attend the seventh edition of the international conference “Humanitarium Itinérant,” organized by the ICRC on November 28, 2024. This event commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions and aimed to highlight challenges to humanitarian action and the imperative of upholding international humanitarian law. A journalist, known for their proximity to Nigerien authorities, published an article on December 4, 2024, accusing Mr. Tiangari of delivering speeches at this event that allegedly harmed Niger’s interests. Furthermore, on November 28, 2024, AEC itself had organized a critical conference discussing the military regime’s decision to revoke nationality in Niger, an event attended by the Public Prosecutor from the Niamey High Court and former dignitaries, including a former Minister of Justice on the panel.
In its opinion, the Working Group determined that Moussa Tiangari’s detention is arbitrary because it lacks any legal basis, is marred by severe violations of his right to a fair trial, and was imposed for discriminatory reasons linked to his exercise of freedom of opinion and expression on matters of public interest, his right to participate in public affairs, and his right to peaceful assembly and association. The GTDA therefore concluded that Nigerien authorities violated Articles 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 19, 20, and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as Articles 2, 9, 14, 16, 19, 21, 22, 25, and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Observatory denounces the continued arbitrary detention of Moussa Tiangari at Filingué maximum-security prison, despite the GTDA’s unambiguous conclusions. He faces charges including “apology of terrorism” (Article 399.1.17 (bis) of the Nigerien Penal Code), “undermining state security” (Articles 62 et seq. of the same Code), “criminal association in connection with a terrorist enterprise” (Article 399.1.19 (new) of the same Code), “undermining national defense” (Articles 66 et seq. of the same Code), and “conspiracy against state authority in intelligence with enemy powers” (Articles 62 et seq. of the same Code). If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Most recently, on May 15, 2026, the control chamber of the specialized anti-terrorism and transnational organized crime division of the Niamey Court of Appeal rejected his request for provisional release. Yet, Article 615 of Ordinance No. 2026-10 of February 16, 2026, establishing the Code of Criminal Procedure, stipulates that “the duration of provisional detention in terrorism matters […] cannot exceed twelve months, renewable once in criminal cases.” This provision should allow for Mr. Tiangari’s release, as he has been detained for one and a half years. While his lawyers appealed to the specialized control chamber of the Niamey Court of Appeal on June 19, 2026, to order his release, Ordinance No. 2026-35, issued on June 26, 2026, retroactively amended Article 615, extending the maximum duration of provisional detention to four years in criminal matters, renewable once. Mr. Tiangari’s legal team recently raised concerns about the potential instrumentalization of the criminal procedure code to keep their client in custody.
This is not the first instance of Moussa Tiangari’s arbitrary detention. He has been subjected to prolonged judicial harassment due to his peaceful human rights advocacy. In May 2015, he was arbitrarily detained for 10 days and prosecuted for “undermining national defense” and “demoralizing troops” in connection with reports published by AEC. On March 25, 2018, Mr. Tiangari was again arrested and arbitrarily detained for four months, then prosecuted for “organizing and participating in a banned demonstration” and “complicity in violence, assault, and destruction of property” for his involvement in peaceful protests against the 2018 finance law. In March 2020, Moussa Tiangari was once more arrested and arbitrarily held for a month and a half in connection with an anti-corruption demonstration exposing embezzlement in military equipment procurement.
More broadly, Mr. Tiangari’s situation reflects a general context in Niger, which, since the coup d’état of July 27, 2023, has seen a significant shrinking of civic space and repeated infringements on the fundamental rights of civil society and all dissenting voices. On numerous occasions, the rights to freedom of expression, opinion, association, assembly, and protest have been violated, notably through arbitrary arrests, detentions, and the denationalization of human rights defenders across the Sahel region.
The Observatory urgently calls upon Nigerien authorities to adhere to the GTDA’s opinion by immediately and unconditionally releasing human rights defender Moussa Tiangari. This includes dropping all charges against him, granting him the right to reparations, and conducting a thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances of his arbitrary deprivation of liberty, as well as identifying and sanctioning those responsible. The Observatory further insists that an investigation must also be initiated into the allegations of torture and ill-treatment against Moussa Tiangari.
Finally, Niger must cease all acts of harassment, including judicial harassment, against Moussa Tiangari and all other human rights defenders in the country. Authorities must particularly ensure, under all circumstances, respect for the right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by international human rights law, specifically Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to which Niger is a party.