Summary

The Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association conducted an official visit to the Niger from 6 to 16 December 2021 to assess the enjoyment of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the country, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 15/21, 24/5, 32/32 and 41/12.

This assessment comes at a time when the country is in a post-electoral period which brought His Excellency Mohamed Bazoum to the presidency, in a fragile security context marked by terrorist attacks affecting the entire Sahel region.

After describing the context of his visit, the Special Rapporteur in his report sets out in detail the challenges faced in the Niger in the enjoyment of the rights of peaceful assembly and association, as well as the good practices observed.

He then emphasizes that the security context and fear of violations of public order cannot in themselves justify a general and permanent ban on the freedom of peaceful assembly.

The Special Rapporteur also draws conclusions and makes recommendations to the Government and other stakeholders.