Niger’s ousted president Bazoum loses his immunity

The state court in Niamey, Niger’s capital, has lifted the immunity of ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, his lawyers said.

One of the former president’s lawyers, Moussa Coulibaly, announced the court’s decision in a statement and said it paved the way for the court to prosecute Bazoum for treason and conspiracy to undermine state security.

“The court proceedings violat(ed) the absolute rights of the defence: we were not authorised to meet our client and the court refused to hear our arguments,” he said.

Bazoum was toppled in a military coup last July. He and his wife have since been held in detention.

Last year, the junta said it would prosecute him for high treason over his exchanges with foreign heads of state and international organisations.