NIGER: Human rights defender sentenced to jail
The president of Niger's human rights league, Bagnou Bonkoukou, was last Thursday sentenced to a one-year jail term and a 20,000 CFA francs fine (US $30), in a case revolving around last month's mutiny in the country.
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)
NIGER: Human rights defender sentenced to jail
NIAMEY, 19 September (IRIN) - The president of Niger's human rights league, Bagnou Bonkoukou, was on Thursday sentenced to a one-year jail term and a 20,000 CFA francs fine (US $30), in a case revolving around last month's mutiny in the country.
Bonkoukou was arrested on 15 August, a few days after citing a higher death toll during a radio broadcast than the government had declared.
According to the authorities in Niger, Bonkoukou was arrested in violation of a decree by President Mamadou Tandja which forbade the dissemination of information about the mutiny. The decree has since been lifted.
Soldiers started the mutiny (in Diffa, eastern Niger, and in the capital, Niamey) on 31 July, demanding better pay and living conditions. They also attempted to take over army barracks. On 9 August, the government announced that it quelled the uprising.
Bonkoukou had also said on radio that the government of Niger should allow international investigators to look into the failed mutiny.
A court sentenced the human rights defender on Thursday after finding him guilty of "false information and dissemination of information in nature to ruin the moral of the armed forces", sources said.
[ENDS]
IRIN-WA
Tel: +225 22-40-4440
Fax: +225 22-41-9339
Email: [email protected]
[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: [email protected] or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]
Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2002