Seyni Amadou, editor-in-chief of Canal 4 TV, was taken into custody on Saturday, a day after his private TV channel was suspended by Niger’s communications ministry.
The suspension was reportedly due to a broadcast that ranked ministers in the government of Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, with Zeine placed first and several ministers labeled the “soft underbelly” of the government.
The TV channel was taken off the air for a month, with state television channel Tele Sahel citing “violation of rules of ethics and deontology” as the reason.
However, CAP-Medias-Niger, an association representing media workers, condemned Amadou’s arrest and detention, calling for the rights of journalists to be respected.
This incident is not isolated, as Niger has a history of restricting press freedom. The country ranks 80th out of 180 on the 2024 Press Freedom Index.
In November, another journalist at Canal 3, Serge Mathurin Adou, was detained and later convicted on allegations of attempting to destabilize Burkina Faso.
The military-led regime in Niger has been increasingly restrictive of press freedom since the coup in 2023, which ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
The regime has turned away from former colonial power France and instead forged ties with fellow juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as with Russia.
