Niger – Frontline Club

Niger RFI journalist released

Frontline Club — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:44:07 +0000

Moussa Kaka, a local reporter for Radio France International (RFI) in Niger, was released from prison yesterday after spending over a year in prison. The charges against him have been “downgraded”. He was originally charged with “complicity in plotting against state authority”. He will now face charges of being “against the integrity of national territory”. The brief statement quoted by Reuters upon his release just about says it all,

“I’m really emotional. I’ve come back from the gates of hell,” Kaka told journalists after being freed. link

Photo from DR.

Journalist faces death penalty

Frontline Club — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:14:20 +0000

The British Foreign Secretary is facing pressure to help secure the release of a French-British journalist in Niger who faces the death penalty. The Press Association has more,

Freelance photo-journalist Thomas Dandois was arrested along with two colleagues on a reporting trip for TV station ARTE on December 17. The 33-year-old, who holds a British and French passport, is accused of flouting a ban on journalists visiting the north of the country. He could now face the death penalty, according to family members in Scotland where Mr Dandois’ mother is from. link

Journalist killed in Niger

Frontline Club — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:16:25 +0000

Within one minute of writing the previous post about journalist fatalities in 2007, we learn that Niger journalist and radio station director Abdou Mahaman has been killed by a landmine in the capital Niamey,

He is the third civilian to die in explosions in the south since December, when the government accused Tuareg-led rebels of widening a northern revolt. No-one has claimed responsibility for the explosion and it is unclear whether Mr Mahaman was deliberately targeted. The BBC’s Idy Baraou in Niamey says the journalist was not known to be critical of either side. link