(CPJ/IFEX) – On 18 April 1998, Saadou Assane, a journalist with the daily “Le Republicaine”, was covering opposition demonstrations in Maradi (a town located 550 kilometers east of Niamey) when he was violently attacked by police and had his equipment confiscated. The demonstrators were calling for President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara’s resignation and protesting a concurrent […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – On 18 April 1998, Saadou Assane, a journalist with the daily
“Le Republicaine”, was covering opposition demonstrations in Maradi (a town
located 550 kilometers east of Niamey) when he was violently attacked by
police and had his equipment confiscated. The demonstrators were calling for
President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara’s resignation and protesting a concurrent
rally organized by his party the Rassemblement pour la Democracie et le
Progress (RDP).
On 15 April 1998, several unidentified armed men surrounded the premises of
the Nouvelle Impremerie de Niger, a privately-owned opposition printing
house, and poured gasoline on the premises and set it on fire. Neighbors
alerted the fire department, which was able to stop the fire before any
serious damage was done to the publishing house.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
Impremerie
Political Rights
right of independent journalists in Niger to freely exercise their
profession
Appeals To
General Ibrahim Bare Mainassara
President of the National Salvation Council
Niamey, Niger
Fax: +227 72 2245 / +227 72 272 / 227 72 2336
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
