Volker Turk, the United Nations human rights chief, has dismissed the prosecution of deposed president Mohamed Bazoum by the Niger’s military junta, saying there was no legal basis for it.
The Niger junta had on August 13 2023, said it will prosecute ousted Bazoum for high treason over his exchanges with foreign heads of state and international organisations.
Colonel Amadou Abdramane, the Junta spokesperson said the military authorities had “gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute the ousted president…for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.”
Reacting, the UN human rights chief on Friday said, “This decision is not only politically motivated against a democratically elected President but has no legal basis as the normal functioning of democratic institutions has been cast aside.
“The very notion of freedoms in Niger is at stake.
“Generals cannot take it upon themselves to defy—at a whim — the will of the people. Rule-by-gun has no place in today’s world.”
Recall that the coup leaders have imprisoned Bazoum and dissolved the elected government of Niger, a major uranium producer and a Western ally in the fight against an Islamist insurgency.