Determination opens door for army authorities to prosecute democratically elected president for alleged ‘excessive treason’.
The highest court docket in military-governed Niger has lifted the immunity of the nation’s deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum, paving the best way for a attainable trial almost a 12 months after he was overthrown by mutinous troopers.
Abdou Dan Galadima, president of the State Court docket, the nation’s highest authorized authority that was created in November by the army authorities, introduced the choice on Friday.
The army authorities had initiated the authorized proceedings earlier this 12 months, declaring their intention to ultimately prosecute Bazoum for “excessive treason” and for undermining nationwide safety.
Below home arrest along with his household, Bazoum is accused of getting spoken by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a bid to safe Western assist through the July 2023 coup.
The court docket proceedings have been postponed twice, with Bazoum’s attorneys complaining of a number of obstacles to the appropriate of a defence. They’ve been unable to speak with him since final October.
Human Rights Watch, a global rights group, has alleged the listening to was marred by severe irregularities, together with violations of Bazoum’s rights to current proof in his defence, to speak along with his authorized counsel and to be heard earlier than an unbiased court docket.
Late final 12 months, the best court docket of West African regional bloc ECOWAS dominated that Bazoum and his household have been arbitrarily detained and known as for him to be launched and restored to workplace. Niger pulled out of the grouping a month later.
After Friday’s listening to, Ould Salem Mohamed, one in all Bazoum’s attorneys, stated they took be aware of the choice and that the defence workforce would make an announcement shortly.
Earlier than Bazoum was forcibly faraway from energy, Niger was the West’s final main safety associate within the Sahel, the huge area south of the Sahara desert that has for years been gripped by lethal violence perpetrated by armed teams.
Bazoum, a former trainer, was elected in 2021 – the nation’s first-ever peaceable switch of energy since independence in 1960. Lauded for his democratic credentials, he supplied a base for powers like France and the US to launch safety campaigns in opposition to armed teams affiliated with ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda.
The army authorities has since booted out France’s army. US troops have been additionally ordered to go away and have formally began their withdrawal.
