Ousted Niger President Files Legal Action Against Coup Leaders
Lawyers representing Niger’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum have announced their intent to file a legal case within Niger against those responsible for the coup that removed the democratically elected leader from power.
The legal team also disclosed that they will be appealing to the UN Human Rights Council.
The complaint, which is set to be lodged in the capital city Niamey in the coming days, is directed at General Abdourahamane Tiani, the new leader who assumed power following the coup, and “all others” involved.
It encompasses various allegations, including “attack and conspiracy against state authority, crimes and offenses committed by civil servants, and arbitrary arrests and confinements.”
In addition to the domestic legal action, Bazoum’s legal team is also making appeals to two bodies within the UN Human Rights Council, including the working group on arbitrary detention.
Dominique Inchauspe, one of the lawyers involved, emphasized that the coup represented an affront to the dignity of the Nigerien state and reiterated the crucial need to restore the rule of law.
It’s worth noting that on September 18, President Bazoum filed a lawsuit with a court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as revealed by his Senegalese lawyer, Seydou Diagne.
Since the coup, Bazoum has been under house arrest, and the coup leaders previously announced their intention to pursue charges of “high treason” against him on August 13.
