Title: Niger’s Military Junta Plans to Prosecute Deposed President for High Treason
Date: [Insert Date]
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — The military junta that seized power in Niger has announced its intention to prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason” and undermining state security. The announcement came just hours after the mutinous officers expressed their willingness to engage in dialogue with West African nations to resolve the regional crisis.
If convicted, Bazoum could face the death penalty, according to Niger’s penal code. The military regime, through its spokesperson Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, stated on state television that it had gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute the ousted president and his alleged local and foreign accomplices before competent national and international authorities.
The charges against Bazoum stem from his post-coup exchanges with high-ranking West African politicians and their international mentors, whom the leaders of the revolt accuse of making false allegations and attempting to derail a peaceful transition to justify military intervention. However, the statement did not identify specific foreign nations or provide a trial date for Niger’s democratically elected president.
While some residents of the capital, Niamey, expressed their belief in Bazoum’s guilt, stating that he had betrayed Niger by stealing its resources, rights groups have raised concerns about the fairness of his trial. They argue that the junta’s newly appointed justice minister, who is a former president of the country’s military tribunal, cannot guarantee ideal independence and free justice.
Niger, an impoverished country with a population of approximately 25 million people,
