Chained for an Invitation: Journalists Detained in Niger

November 08, 2025 – Niger – 

In a staggering escalation of press suppression, three journalists in Niger remain behind bars after being charged under the country’s sweeping cybercrime law for allegedly sharing an invitation to a government media briefing. On October 30, the Kyimen Capital Police arrested veteran broadcast manager Ibro Chaïbou of RTS, publishing director Youssouf Sériba of Les Échos du Niger, and editor-founder Oumarou Abou Kané of the satirical magazine Le Hérisson after they forwarded a WhatsApp invitation to a press conference hosted by the Solidarity Fund for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (FSSP).

On November 3, an investigating judge formally remanded the three in Kollo prison, south of Niamey, on charges of “disseminating data likely to disturb public order”—an offence punishable by up to five years in prison under the 2019 cybercrime law, which was significantly amended in 2024 to widen state control over media discourse. The authorities insist the invitation breached public-order regulations, but rights watchdogs argue the case represents a dangerous abuse of anti-terror and cyber-legislation to stifle journalism.

The operative chain of events began when the invitation was shared internally by the media and an exile associated with former President Mohamed Bazoum. Soon thereafter, the broadcast of the press event triggered mass sharing of the document via social platforms, which the junta labelled as “unauthorised” publication. Amid rising censorship since the 2023 coup, this arrest marked yet another flagrant infringement on the freedom to report and disseminate information.

Committee to Protect Journalists has demanded the immediate release of the detained reporters and the dropping of charges against all journalists targeted under the law, warning that Niger’s trajectory signifies a collapse of media independence. Unless these proceedings are reversed and the legislation reformed, the climate for journalism in Niger is likely to deteriorate further, with the risk of self-censorship looming ever greater.

Reference – 

In Niger, 3 journalists jailed on cybercrime charges for allegedly sharing an invitation