Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has condemned the arrest of protesters in Niger Republic after the country’s February presidential election.

Former Prime Minister Hama Amadou was arrested for his alleged role in the unrest that followed the result of the presidential election.

Hundreds were arrested and two were killed after violence erupted following the electoral commission’s declaration that Mohamed Bazoum won the 23 February vote with 55.75 percent.

The opposition candidate, Mahamane Ousmane, took 44.25 percent of the vote, with the supporters of the former president protesting in the streets, alleging fraud.

The country’s Interior Minister, Alkache Alhada, had accused Amadou ‘of being the main author’ of the unrest that broke out in the capital, Niamey.

CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Rafsanjani, in a statement, decried alleged undemocratic clampdown, unchecked impunity, and dictatorial moves by authorities in the country.

‘We are disappointed that the authorities positioned basically to protect the citizens autocratically embark on an unlawful mission to arbitrarily arrest and imprison them without an iota of respect for their civic rights, even when such are guaranteed under Articles 11, 12, 13 of Republic of Niger’s Constitution of 2010′, the statement read.

‘We are also perturbed by the normalised impunity and unwary extent of constitutional violations of especially Articles 14, 15 and 18 with definite provisions that ‘No one shall be submitted to torture, to slavery or to cruel, inhuman or degrading abuse or treatments’.

CISLAC called on the international community to intervene in the political situation in Niger.

The civil society organisation also called on the regional, continental and international communities to strengthen surveillance on the democracy system, human rights, women’s rights, and citizens’ freedom issues in the country.

Source: CISLAC

Photo source: Issouf Sanogo/AFP