West African Civil Society Organisations Call for the Immediate Release of Moussa Tchangari Following UN Finding of Arbitrary Detention

29 July 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West African Civil Society Organisations Call for the Immediate Release of Moussa Tchangari Following UN Finding of Arbitrary Detention

Abuja, Nigeria | 28 July 2026.

We, the undersigned civil society organisations, renew our call for the immediate and unconditional release of prominent Nigerien journalist and human rights defender Moussa Tchangari, following the landmark opinion of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declaring his detention arbitrary and contrary to international human rights law.

The Working Group's findings reaffirm what many civil society organisations, human rights defenders, and international partners have consistently maintained since Mr. Tchangari's arrest on 3 December 2024: that his detention is politically motivated, violates fundamental guarantees of due process, and represents a serious assault on civic space and freedom of expression in Niger.

The UN Working Group has called on the Nigerien authorities to immediately release Mr. Tchangari, provide appropriate reparations, investigate the circumstances surrounding his detention, and hold those responsible accountable. This independent determination significantly strengthens the growing international consensus that his continued detention cannot be justified under international law.

For more than three decades, Moussa Tchangari has been one of West Africa's most respected voices for democracy, human rights, social justice, and accountable governance. As Secretary-General of Alternative Espaces Citoyens, he has consistently promoted civic participation, public accountability, and peaceful democratic engagement across Niger and the wider region.

His arrest shortly after returning from Abuja, Nigeria, where he participated in discussions on democracy, civic engagement, and African solidarity, sent a chilling signal to civil society actors across West Africa. Since then, he has remained in detention under terrorism-related charges without trial, while repeated efforts by his legal team to secure his release have been unsuccessful.

The prolonged detention of Mr. Tchangari illustrates a broader pattern of shrinking civic space in Niger. The increasing use of broadly framed national security and terrorism-related offences against journalists, activists, and critics threatens not only individual rights but also the democratic values upon which peaceful and accountable societies depend.

The protection of national security and the protection of fundamental freedoms are not mutually exclusive. States have a legitimate responsibility to safeguard public safety, but this responsibility must always be exercised within the framework of the rule of law and in accordance with regional and international human rights obligations.

The continued detention of Mr. Tchangari, despite the findings of an independent United Nations mechanism, raises serious concerns about due process, judicial independence, and respect for the rights to liberty, fair trial, and freedom of expression guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other international instruments to which Niger is a party.

We therefore call on the authorities in Niger to:

Immediately and unconditionally release Moussa Tchangari;
Implement the recommendations of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention;
Guarantee his right to due process, fair trial, and adequate access to his family and legal representatives pending his release; and
End the use of terrorism-related charges or other criminal provisions to silence peaceful civic engagement and legitimate criticism.

We further call on the African Union, the United Nations, diplomatic missions, and the broader international community to sustain their engagement with the Nigerien authorities to ensure compliance with international human rights obligations and the protection of civic space.

Across West Africa, democracy cannot flourish where journalists, human rights defenders, and civic actors face arbitrary detention for peacefully exercising their fundamental freedoms. The continued detention of Moussa Tchangari is not solely a Nigerien issue; it is a regional concern that speaks to the future of democratic governance, civic participation, and the protection of human rights across our sub-region.

We stand in solidarity with Moussa Tchangari, his family, his colleagues, and all those who continue to defend human rights under increasingly difficult circumstances. We reiterate our call for his immediate release and urge the authorities in Niger to uphold the rule of law and respect the fundamental rights of all citizens.

SIGNED

The undersigned organisations:

#FixPolitics – Nigeria
21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth Initiative (CEYWI) – Nigeria
Accountability Lab – Nigeria
Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) – Nigeria
African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) – Nigeria
Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) – Nigeria
Amnesty International (AI) – Nigeria
Association of Journalists on Mining and Extractives (AJME) – Sierra Leone
Beakanyang Organization – The Gambia
Borno Coalition for Democracy and Progress (BOCODEP) – Nigeria
CAFSO-WRAG for Development – Nigeria
Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) – Sierra Leone
Campaign for Just Mining (CJM) – Sierra Leone
Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) – Nigeria
Centre for Democratic Research and Training (CRDDERT) – Nigeria
Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) – Nigeria
Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Security (Centre LSD) – Nigeria
Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) – Nigeria
Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) – Nigeria
Civil Rights Council – Nigeria
Civil Society Coalition on Sustainable Developme (CSCSD) – Nigeria
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) – Nigeria
Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) – Nigeria
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) – Nigeria
Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) – The Gambia
Emergency and Risk Alert Initiative (ERAI) – Nigeria
Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance and Accountability (formerly Alliance for Credible Elections) – Nigeria
Ene Obi Centre for Development (ECN) – Nigeria
Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) – Nigeria
Feminism Lab – Nigeria
Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development (FENRAD) – Nigeria
Gambia Angainst Looted Asset (GALA) – The Gambia
Gambia Participate – The Gambia
Gender and Reproductive Health Youth Advocacy Network (GRAYBETWORK) - Ghana
Girl Child Concern (GCC) – Nigeria
Global Rights – Nigeria
Good Governance Team (GGT) – Nigeria
Health of Mother Earth Foundation – Nigeria
Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) – Nigeria
Human & Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) – Nigeria
Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) – Ghana
International Press Centre (IPC) – Nigeria
Livelihood and Environment (LEG) – Ghana
Media Rights Agenda (MRA) – Nigeria
Mothers and Marginalized Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre) – Nigeria
Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTiON) – Nigeria
National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NALD) – Nigeria
Natural Resources Governance and Economic Justice (NaRGEJ) – Sierra Leone
Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) – Sierra Leone
OilWatch Ghana
OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative – Nigeria
Organization for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN) – Nigeria
Organisation pour le Renforcement des Capacités de Développement (ORCADE) – Burkina Faso
Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA) - Nigeria
Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN) – Nigeria
Peering Advocacy and Advancement Center in Africa (PAACA) – Nigeria
Policy Alert - Nigeria
Public Interest Lawyers’ League (PILL) – Nigeria
Regional Centre for Governance and Security Policy Initiative (RCGSPI)– Sierra Leone
Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) – Nigeria
Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) – Nigeria
Say No Campaign – Nigeria
Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action) – Nigeria
Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre (SERDEC) – Nigeria
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) – Nigeria
Spaces for Change (S4C) – Nigeria
State of the Union (SOTU) – Nigeria
Tax Justice and Governance Platform (TJ&GP) – Nigeria
Transparency International (TI) – Nigeria
Tunani Initiative – Nigeria
We the People (WTP) – Nigeria
West Africa Centre for Public Policy (WACPP) – Senegal
West Africa Civil Society Institue (WACSI) – Ghana
West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) – Ghana
Women in Mining and Extractives (WoME)– Sierra Leone
Women’s Association for Women and Victims’ Empowerment (WAVE) – The Gambia
Yes-Africa – Nigeria
Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (Yiaga-Africa) – Nigeria
Zero-Corruption Coalition (ZCC) – Nigeria