Niger: MFWA calls for media group director's release and re-opening of Alternative FM
On 29 March 2005, Moussa Tchangari, director of the Alternative Media Group, was jailed at the Penal Camp in Daikaina, located about 160km from Niamey. Tchangari, who was charged on two counts of "undermining the authority of the state and calling for an unarmed gathering", is also the communications secretary for the Democratic Coalition of the Civil Society of Niger (CDSCN), one of the organisations calling for the withdrawal of a value added tax imposed on food products, water and electricity earlier this year.
ACTION ALERT UPDATE - NIGER
4 April 2005
MFWA calls for media group director's release and re-opening of Alternative FM
SOURCE: Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Accra
**Updates IFEX alert of 31 March 2005**
(MFWA/IFEX) - On 29 March 2005, Moussa Tchangari, director of the Alternative Media Group, was jailed at the Penal Camp in Daikaina, located about 160km from Niamey.
Tchangari, who was charged on two counts of "undermining the authority of the state and calling for an unarmed gathering", is also the communications secretary for the Democratic Coalition of the Civil Society of Niger (CDSCN), one of the organisations calling for the withdrawal of a value added tax imposed on food products, water and electricity earlier this year.
According to an MFWA-Niger source, Radio France International (RFI) broadcast an interview with the journalist in which he asserted that the arrests of civil society leaders would not discourage citizens from demonstrating and demanding their rights.
At around noon (local time) on 26 March, four members of the national police went to Tchangari's office and demanded that he follow them, though they did not produce an arrest warrant. The journalist was sent to the Criminal Investigation Department, where three civil society leaders were being detained for organising demonstrations to protest the high cost of living.
On 27 March, the police conducted a search of Tchangari's residence as well as of the offices of Alternative Group. The next day, Culture, Arts and Communications Minister Oumarou Hadari announced on state television Télé Sahel that the government would take measures against media that published or broadcast statements by civil society leaders.
On 29 March, at about 5:00 a.m., five plainclothes national police officers arrived at the premises of Alternative FM, which broadcasts to Niamey and the surrounding area, and ordered a technician on duty to leave the studio. The police officers then locked the doors and took away the keys to the station, banning Alternative FM from broadcasting again. When Tchangari contacted the Higher Council for Communication (CSC), the media regulatory body, the CSC said it had nothing to do with the decision to close down the station.
The Daikaina Penal Camp where Tchangari is being held is reserved for hardened criminals, many of whom have died in the past from snakebites and excessive heat.
The MFWA strongly condemns the undue harassment of journalists since the outbreak of demonstrations to protest the value added tax. The organisation is particularly appalled at the arbitrary arrest and subsequent jailing of Tchangari.
MFWA calls for Tchangari's immediate and unconditional release and the re-opening of Alternative FM. The organisation further demands that the government of President Mamadou Tandja respect freedom of expression and the right of Niger citizens to hold and express diverse views on matters of public interest.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Send appeals to authorities:
- condemning the undue harassment of journalists since the outbreak of demonstrations to protest the value added tax and the arbitrary arrest and subsequent jailing of Tchangari
- calling for Tchangari's immediate and unconditional release and the re-opening of Alternative FM
- demanding that the government respect freedom of expression and the right of Niger citizens to hold and express diverse views on matters of public interest
APPEALS TO:
Mamadou Tandja
Président de la République
[President]
Tel: +227 72 24 72
Fax: +227 733 430 / 724 529 / 732 245
Hama Amadou
Premier ministre
[Prime Minister]
Leader de la majorité
Tel: +227 72 35 76
Fax: +227 73 58 59
Oumarou Hadari
Ministre de la Culture, des Arts et de la Communication
[Culture, Arts and Communications Minister]
Tel: +227 735 357
Fax: +227 722 171
Maty Elhadji Moussa
Ministre de la justice
[Justice Minister]
Garde des Sceaux
Tel: +227 72 31 31
Fax: +227 72 37 77
Aichatou Mindaoudou
Ministre des Affaires Etrangères
[Foreign Affairs Minister]
Tel: +227 72 21 49
Fax: +227 73 52 31
Mounkaila Modi
Ministre de l'Intérieur et de la Décentralisation
[Interior and Decentralisation Minister]
Tel: +227 72 32 10
Fax: +227 72 32 62
Mahamane Ousmane
Président de l'Assemblée Nationale
[National Assembly President]
Tel: +227 72 22 85
Fax: +227 72 43 08 / 72 28 04
Issoufou Mahamadou
Leader de l'opposition
[Leader of the Opposition]
Tel: +227 74 09 50
Fax: +227 73 41 42
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
For further information, contact Jeannette Quarcoopome, Media Foundation for West Africa, P.O. Box LG 730, Legon, Ghana, tel.: +233 21 24 24 70, fax: +231 21 22 10 84, e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.mfwaonline.org
The information contained in this action alert update is the sole responsibility of MFWA. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MFWA.
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