Freedom of the Press 2008 - Niger

Status: Not Free
Legal Environment: 22 (of 30)
Political Environment: 24 (of 40)
Economic Environment: 17 (of 30)
Total Score: 63 (of 100)
(Lower scores = freer)

Status change explanation: Niger declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to the government's attempts to control information related to the civil conflict in the north, including suspending the operation of critical media outlets, prosecuting journalists for libel, and harassing journalists who produced controversial reports.

Although Niger's constitution guarantees freedom of expression, it is often not respected in practice. Conditions for the independent Nigerien media deteriorated considerably in 2007 due to the government's attempts to control information related to the civil conflict in the north, which began in February 2007 when members of the Mouvement des Nigeriens pour la Justice (MNJ) carried out attacks on the army in the northern town of Iferouane. During the year, Nigerien authorities have suspended the operation of critical media outlets, prosecuted journalists for libel, and harassed journalists for controversial materials.

As a direct result of the conflict, Nigerien authorities have sharply limited the media's ability to report on events in the north. On June 29, Niger's regulatory body, the Supreme Council for Communications (CSC), suspended Aïr Info, a private paper from the northern Agadez region, for covering the MNJ's activities. On July 19, the government imposed a one-month ban on the retransmission of Radio France International (RFI). Furthermore, in late August, the government banned live broadcasts of the MNJ, which occurred in the context of a country-wide state of emergency imposed on August 24 in response to heightened rebel attacks. In late October, the CSC issued a warning to media outlets that criticism of it could lead to the revoking of broadcasting licenses.

Throughout 2007, journalists also faced threats of detention and criminal prosecution for coverage of the conflict. At the end of August, authorities detained the French filmmaker Francois Bergeron for filming a documentary on the Touaregs in the north; Bergeron was released on October 6. On September 21, authorities arrested and later imprisoned Moussa Kaka, the director of the private station Radio Saraouniya and a correspondent for RFI and Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF). Kaka was later charged with "complicity in a conspiracy against state authority" due to coverage of the MNJ's demands and activities and the government's counter-insurgency efforts. Although a court in November rejected the evidence against Kaka, he remained imprisoned at year's end. Earlier in July, an army officer threatened Kaka with death for covering the conflict in the north.

On October 9, Ibrahim Manzo Diallo, Aïr Info's managing editor, was arrested prior to boarding a flight to France. Diallo had been previously arrested in July for operating his publication under a new name, Info de l'Aïr. Daouda Yacouba, an Aïr Info correspondent, was arrested on October 25 and released in early November. On October 31, Diallo was charged with criminal association for alleged ties to the MNJ rebels, and he remained imprisoned at year's end. On December 17, two French citizens on assignment with the French-German television station Arte, reporter Thomas Dandois and cameraman Pierre Creisson, were arrested and later charged with undermining state security upon allegations that they had traveled illegally to the north. At year's end, both were still imprisoned near Niamey.

Journalists faced other instances of intimidation and harassment throughout the year. In October, Hamadou Boulama, the editor-in-chief of the bi-monthly paper Alternative, received a death threat, allegedly linked to a story published in October suggesting that the 2009 presidential election would not be competitive. In early December, Ibrahim Souley, the managing editor of the bi-monthly L'Enqueteur, and Soumana Idrissa Maiga, the paper's founder, were arrested and held for 72 hours following libel charges brought by the minister of finance and economic planning due to the paper's allegations of corruption within the ministry. Their case was pending at year's end.

The state continues to dominate the broadcasting landscape and consistently reflects the government line. Nevertheless, there are 15 private radio stations that broadcast in French and other local languages. Although private publications have been very critical of the government, they have limited influence due to a literacy rate of only 29 percent. Restrictive press licensing legislation and a heavy tax on private media outlets continue to prohibit the growth of a vibrant dynamic press. Although the government does not restrict internet access, less than 0.3 percent of the population accessed it regularly, owing to the high level of poverty and lack of infrastructure.