UN Urges Immediate Release of Mohamed Bazoum

February 12, 2025

(3 Minutes Read)

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for the immediate release of former President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum and his wife, Hadiza, on Monday, February 10.

Mohamed Bazoum served as the 10th president of Niger from 2021 to 2023. He assumed office in April 2021 after winning the 2020–21 presidential election and surviving a coup d’état attempt.

Bazoum was overthrown in a coup in July 2023. Since then, he and his wife have been cut off from all outside contact. They have been detained for a year and a half in a wing of the presidential residence in Niamey. Only his doctor is allowed to visit him.

The UN Working Group considers their detention “arbitrary” and a violation of international law. It calls for their “immediate release” and the right to seek compensation.

The UN experts’ statement is not new. UN Secretary-General António Guterres had previously demanded Bazoum’s release. He even called for his “reinstatement as head of state” after his “arbitrary detention” on July 26, 2023.

Bazoum’s lawyers quickly reacted in a statement stressing that their client and his wife have been “completely cut off from the outside world” since October 2023. They have had no contact with family, friends, or legal counsel.