A West African court ruled on Friday that Mohamed Bazoum, the ousted president of Niger, and his family had been unfairly imprisoned. The court also asked that Bazoum be reinstated in order to restore democracy to Niger.
Bazoum was overthrown by a military coup on July 26. According to his party and family, he has been imprisoned without access to running water or light ever since.
The coup, which was sharply condemned and generated calls for Bazoum’s freedom and the return of democracy, led to sanctions being placed in place by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Bazoum’s lawyers claim that their client and his family filed their petition with the ECOWAS Court of Justice in September.
Judge Gberi-Be Ouattara ordered Bazoum’s immediate, unconditional release and gave the junta instructions to reinstate him in order to restore constitutional order.
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The junta did not react to the verdict right away.
According to his attorneys, Bazoum, his spouse, and their child are being held in the presidential house located in Niamey, the capital of the country. They haven’t been offered the chance to talk with a magistrate or been informed of any court cases that are being brought against them.
Mohamed Seydou Diagne, the lawyer for Bazoum, referred to the decision as a “historic” legal indictment of Niger’s self-appointed military leadership in a joint statement.
The ECOWAS Court of Justice, whose decisions are final and unchallengeable, is the regional body’s principal court. The attorneys said that the junta has been given a month to provide information about how it plans to implement the decision.
Military governments in power of a sizable chunk of Niger have attempted to distance themselves from France, the old colonial master, and other Western allies in the wake of two coups in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso over the preceding three years.
At its summit in Nigeria on Sunday, ECOWAS appointed a committee of chiefs of state to hold talks with the Niger junta.