Niger frees two journalists after four days in prison

Niger has released two journalists who were arrested last week.

Zakari Adamou, the host of a show on privately-owned Nigerien Canal 3 TV, and Ousmane Dan Badji, the editor of the newspaper L’Union were arrested because they allegedly accused President Mahamadou Issoufou of corruption during a televised debate.

They were freed Thursday after four days in prison, according to the Associated Press.

While Amadou is no longer part of an investigation, Badji said he has been told the case against him remains active.

“While welcoming the release of two journalists, who were unjustly detained, we still deplore the fact that the authorities violated article 67 of the law on media freedom, which prohibits the preventive detention of journalists,” said Cléa Kahn-Sriber, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Africa desk, in a statement.

The organization called on the authorities of the West African nation to drop all charges, which it said are violations of press freedom.

Previously, two other journalists had already been detained for several days.

The government has its back to the wall because of various crises, said Boubacar Diallo, president of the Niamey Press Club, in an interview with Reporters Without Borders. "And so it is turning on journalists who express views and organize debates it doesn’t like. ”