Niger: Conditions of the amnesty granted to the perpetrators of the coups d'état of 27 January 1996 and of 9 April 1999; possibility that some of the guilty, in particular the former director of national security and the head of the special unit, were imprisoned following the coup d'état of 9 April 1999, then released without conditions after the amnesty
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 29 October 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NER33066.FE |
| Reference | 1 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Niger: Conditions of the amnesty granted to the perpetrators of the coups d'état of 27 January 1996 and of 9 April 1999; possibility that some of the guilty, in particular the former director of national security and the head of the special unit, were imprisoned following the coup d'état of 9 April 1999, then released without conditions after the amnesty, 29 October 1999, NER33066.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be7714.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Pursuant to Article 141 of the new constitution adopted by referendum in July 1999, an amnesty was granted to the perpetrators of the coups d'état of 27 January 1996 and 9 April 1999 (Le Républicain 1999; BBC 9 Aug. 1999). A dispatch dated 21 July 1999 from Agence France Presse states that the amnesty applies to all those who participated in the two coups d'état and that the opposition parties were prepared to accept it to facilitate a return to democracy. According to a report by Amnesty International,
[translation]
The culture of impunity which has characterized Niger for years has just been consecrated with a decision, before any trial has been held, to grant amnesty to the perpetrators of human rights violations which occurred during the two coups of January 1996 and April 1999 (8 Sept. 1999).
On 22 September 1999, Agence France Presse, citing the weekly newspaper Le Démocrate, reported that an investigation into the murder of Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, launched in June 1999 in response to pressure from the international community, was stopped in September because of the amnesty.
No information could be found on the imprisonment of the former director of national security, the head of the special unit, or other persons involved in the coup d'état of 9 April 1999
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP) [Paris, in English]. 22 September 1999. "Case Against Mainassara's Assassins Said Dropped." (FBIS-AFR-1999-0922 22 Sept. 1999/WNC)
_____. 21 July 1999. "Opposition Parties on New Constitution." (FBIS-AFR-1999-0721 21 July 1999/WNC)
Amnesty International. 8 September 1999. Niger: Le sacre de l'impunité (AI Index: AFR 49/02/99/F). London: Amnesty International.
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 9 August 1999. "Niger Junta Promulgates New Constitution."
Le Républicain [Niamey]. 1999. "Sommaire analytique ... "
Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Confidential [London]. 1999.
Daily Mail & Guardian [Johannesburg]. 1999.
Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH). Website.
Jeune Afrique [Paris]. 1999.
Kakaki: News of Niger [San Antonio, Texas]. 1999.
Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. 1999.
La Lettre du continent [Paris]. 1998.
New African [London]. 1999.
Panafrican News Agency. 1999.
Post Express Wired [Ikeja]. 1999.
Le Républicain [Niamey]. 1999.
Electronic sources: IRB databases, Lexis/Nexis, Internet, REFWORLD, World News Connection (WNC).
