One year of detention for Moussa Tchangari: Migreurop calls for his immediate release
Today marks one year since Moussa Tchangari, Secretary General of the association Alternative Espaces Citoyens Niger (AEC) – a member of the Migreurop network – was arrested at his home upon returning from an international trip. He has now been arbitrarily detained by the Nigerien authorities for 365 days.
Moussa Tchangari is a well-known figure of Nigerien civil society who has been working since the 1990s for social justice and democracy in Niger. He is being detained and prosecuted on unfounded charges, solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression and for denouncing government measures that undermine democratic freedoms.
On 3 January 2025, the High Court of Niamey indicted him on extremely serious charges, including “criminal association in relation to a terrorist enterprise,” “undermining national defence,” and “conspiracy against State authority in collusion with enemy powers.”
He has since been held in Filingué prison, nearly 200 km from Niamey. Under the Nigerien penal code, terrorism-related charges can lead to up to four years of non-renewable pre-trial detention. If found guilty of conspiracy in collusion with enemy powers, he faces the death penalty. In addition, Moussa Tchangari risks being stripped of his Nigerien nationality due to the terrorism charges brought against him. In Niger, as in many other countries, accusations of “terrorism” are used by authoritarian governments to suppress democratic freedoms and civil society initiatives.
In March and then in May 2025, his lawyers filed several appeals, including a request for the annulment of the proceedings and a petition to remove the specialised chamber dealing with terrorism and organised crime cases. All these appeals were rejected. The last hearing of Moussa Tchangari was held on 22 October, and on 24 October 2025 the closure of the investigation was announced.
We, human rights defenders and members of the Migreurop network, express our deep concern and indignation at his abusive indictment and arbitrary detention. This endless pre-trial detention is a flagrant violation of his most fundamental rights and serves only to silence dissenting voices in an authoritarian political context. Faced with these unacceptable repressive methods, we call for the immediate release of Moussa Tchangari.
At a time when attacks on human rights, solidarity, and freedom of expression are becoming increasingly frequent, the intimidation and relentless repression faced by human rights defenders – in Niger and elsewhere – only further strengthen the legitimacy of our struggles for the respect of rights and democracy.
Paris, 3 December 2025