Reporters Without Borders warns Niger journalists of risks following cybercrime law change

Niger’s cybercrime law changes: Reporters Without Borders warns of risks to journalists Recent changes to Niger’s cybercrime law, signed by General Abdourahamane Tiani, have caused serious concern among press freedom defenders. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has sounded the alarm, stressing that the legislation could be used to jail and censor online journalists. The organization has called for the immediate repeal of the order.

On June 7, General Tiny, who has been in power since the July 2023 coup, amended three articles of the 2019 law on combating cybercrime. The changes reinstated prison sentences for crimes such as “defamation,” “insult,” and “dissemination of data that could disrupt public order or infringe upon human dignity” committed online. These penalties had been abolished in 2022.

The new order marks a worrying setback for press freedom in Niger, which abolished prison sentences for press crimes with the passage of the Press Law in 2010. From now on, journalists may be treated like ordinary citizens when speaking online, giving judicial authorities wide leeway to go after critical journalists.

Of particular concern is that Article 31, as amended by the regulation, provides that the dissemination of data that could disrupt public order or harm human dignity will be punished “even if the data generated and disseminated have been verified.” This means that news articles can be charged under this provision even if they are true.

Sadibou Maron, the director of MSF’s sub-Saharan Africa department, condemned the measures. “While press freedom in Niger was already under severe pressure, the military authorities have decided to increase pressure on journalists by reinstating prison sentences and heavy fines for cybercrime-related offences, covering a wide range of charges that can be levelled against information professionals. The repressive provisions confirm the serious decline in press freedom and show the extent to which the military is willing to use the law to repress media calls for the repeal of this liberal order.”

Mako Sidikou (Nigerian expatriate)