A prominent journalist in Niger Republic was detained on Saturday, according to an association, just one day after the private television channel he oversees was suspended due to a report critical of the military government.
Seyni Amadou, the editor-in-chief of Canal 4 TV, has been arrested, as reported by CAP-Medias-Niger, which advocates for media professionals in the nation.
On Friday, the communications ministry of Niger announced that the channel would be off the air for a month.
State-run Tele Sahel indicated that Canal 3 TV faced penalties “for breaching ethical and professional standards.”
In a statement to Africa24hrs, Canal 3 explained that the suspension was “related to a broadcast concerning the ranking of ministers” in the administration of Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, a civilian appointed by the military authorities.
The report ranked Zeine at the top, while several of his ministers were described as the “soft underbelly” of the government.
CAP expressed its dismay over Amadou’s arrest and detention, urging for the protection of journalists’ rights.
“Never before in Niger’s media regulation history has the executive taken such a decision to suspend a media outlet, even during so-called exceptional times,” it stated.
CAP urged Communications Minister Sidi Raliou Mohamed to reassess his decision.
Niger ranks 80th out of 180 nations in the 2024 Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a media rights organization based in Paris.
In November, another journalist from Canal 3, Serge Mathurin Adou, was arrested and subsequently convicted on charges of attempting to undermine the junta-led government of neighboring Burkina Faso.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of Niger’s influential presidential guard, removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power in 2023. Bazoum was a significant ally of Western efforts to combat jihadist threats in sub-Saharan Africa.
Following the coup, Niger’s military leadership has distanced itself from its former colonial ruler, France, and has established connections with other military regimes in Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as with Russia.
Additionally, the government has restricted access to international media outlets, including Radio France International (RFI), France 24, and the BBC.
