Niger's Ousted President Bazoum Stripped of Immunity, Faces Criminal Charges

In Summary

• State Court of Niamey strips Mohamed Bazoum of immunity, paving the way for criminal proceedings.
• Bazoum faces charges of treason and conspiracy to undermine state security.
• Bazoum and his wife have been in detention since the coup in July 2022, with limited contact with the outside world.
• Lawyers claim court proceedings violated Bazoum's defense rights; ECOWAS and Western powers have called for his release.
• The military coup is one of eight in West and Central Africa since 2020, highlighting regional instability.

DETAILS

Niamy, Niger- Niger's ousted President Mohamed Bazoum has been stripped of his immunity by the State Court of Niamey, signaling that the ruling junta will launch criminal proceedings against him, his lawyers said on Friday. Bazoum was toppled in a military coup last July, and he and his wife have been held in detention since, despite repeated calls from the regional political and economic bloc ECOWAS and Western powers for his release.

One of his lawyers, Moussa Coulibaly, announced the court's decision in a statement, stating it paved the way for the court to prosecute Bazoum for treason and conspiracy to undermine state security. The court proceedings "violated the absolute rights of the defence: we were not authorised to meet our client and the court refused to hear our arguments," Coulibaly added.

It was not immediately possible to reach the Niger authorities for comment. Last year, the junta said it would prosecute Bazoum for high treason over his exchanges with foreign heads of state and international organizations. The coup, one of eight in West and Central Africa since 2020, swept the military authorities to power. They have ignored calls for Bazoum's reinstatement, including from the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which last year ruled that his detention was arbitrary.

Bazoum's lawyers said he and his wife had never been brought before a magistrate. Their telephone line at the presidency was taken away in October, and they have been cut off from the world with no visitors allowed apart from their doctor, the lawyers said.