Ousted Niger President’s Lawyers Initiate Legal Action Against Coup Plotters

Legal representatives for Niger’s former president, Mohamed Bazoum, who was deposed in a coup on July 26 and subsequently detained, have announced their intention to file a legal case within Niger against those responsible for the coup that ousted the democratically elected leader. In a statement, the lawyers revealed that they would also be appealing to the UN Human Rights Council.

The legal complaint targets General Abdourahamane Tiani, the new leader following the coup, and “all others” involved. This legal action takes the form of a civil lawsuit and encompasses allegations of “attack and conspiracy against state authority, crimes and offenses committed by civil servants, and arbitrary arrests and confinements.”

The lawyers anticipate that this complaint will be formally submitted to a court in the capital city, Niamey, within the coming days, as confirmed by one of the lawyers, Dominique Inchauspe.
Additionally, the legal team is pursuing appeals to two entities within the UN Human Rights Council, including its working group on arbitrary detention.

Inchauspe emphasized that the coup constitutes “an infringement on the dignity of the Nigerien state” and underlined the “absolute necessity” of reinstating the rule of law.

Notably, Mohamed Bazoum initiated legal proceedings with the court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on September 18, as stated by his Senegalese lawyer, Seydou Diagne. Bazoum has been under house arrest since the coup, with the coup leaders previously announcing their intent to charge him with “high treason” on August 13.