Lawyers in Niger went on a one-day strike this week in solidarity with the Constitutional Court, which was dissolved by President Mamadou Tandja - an act the lawyers deemed illegal.
Writing in the Kinshasa newspaper, Le Potentiel, Pierre Emangongo reports that lawyers decided to strike after their call of June 17 on the president to adhere to the decision of the constitional court, which stated that the President may not run for a third term after his current term expires in December, fell on deaf ears.
It will be recalled that President Mamadou Tandja had earlier dissolved parliament and the constitutional court, modified the electoral laws and arrogated to himself "exceptional powers" that permits him to govern by decree.
The main opposition leader, Mamadou Issoufou, has denounced what he considers a coup d'etat by Tandja. Issoufou called on the president to relinquish power and to face treason charges for breaching his oath to uphold the provisions of the constitution.
Louis Michel, the European Union's commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, has threatened to cut all European loans to the Tandja regime, according to a press release issued on July 11.
In Ouagadougou, L'Observateur Paalga reports that Tandja is busy tightening the screws on the opposition despite pressure from international bodies such as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and countries including the United States and France.
On June 30, the president ordered the closure of many publication houses and the arrest of some journalists – a move that brought an outcry from the International Federation of Journalists.
In further disregard of constitutional provisions on press freedom, he signed a decree on the composition, organization and functions of the Superior Council for Communication (CSC), giving it excessive powers of media censorship. The decree gives the CSC the power to close down without prior notification any organ of the press that publishes or screens any content judged capable of compromising the security of the state or public order.
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However, the first sanctions against Niger have been imposed by the European Union, which has suspended financial aid that was promised to the country. Though the exact sum has not been disclosed, this indicates the seriousness of the international community – upon whom Niger, as one of the poorest countries in the world, has long depended.
Report adapted and translated from the original French reports by Michael Tantoh.
