Tchangari’s English was not very good, so he addressed the symposium in Hausa, calling for African solidarity in defending democracy and the civic space. He took a flight back to Niamey the following day and was arrested. Maybe it is more accurate to describe what happened to him as a kidnap, because those who took him did not identify themselves or explain why they were taking him. He was simply taken by a large number of armed operatives from his house, one hour after he arrived from Abuja. The charges against him emerged following his public critiques of recent military governance policies and his advocacy against the repression of the civic space. Indeed, three weeks before his arrest, on 12 November 2024, Tchangari had criticised, on social media, the decision of Niger’s interior minister to revoke the licenses of two humanitarian non-governmental organisations operating in the country.
General Tchiani: The arbitrary detention of human rights defender Moussa Tchangari must end, By Jibrin Ibrahm
