With elections approaching in Niger the Press is being jailed!

By, Uwe Paschen.

The African Press Organization is Reporting today that more arrest and trials have been and are being carried out by Niger's Justice department due to Government complains about Journalist merely daring to report the News. Soon so it seems the entire Niger Press will find it self in Jail or before the Courts for trial.

Now, mind you Niger is supposed to be a Democracy and transparent, claiming to have freedom of expression and more. That however is practised to well by the ruling Government in Niamey as the Journalist can attest them self as well as Minorities such as the Tuaregs that are still being prosecuted and the Slaves that still exist there as well.

See previous Posts at:

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/niger-freedom-press-only-illusion

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/tuareg-hope-mali-despair-niger

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/end-tuaregs-niger-chad-mali-and-cameroon-algeria-and-libya

After another Editor received a suspended sentence for a report on Government miss handling the Sahel Air earlier this Week with a hefty fine, now >>Moussa Aksar, the editor of the privately-owned weekly L’Evénement, and one of his journalists, Sani Aboubacar, on 12 November on a charge of libelling the head of the state.<<

Both already find them self in Pre trial custody with out any chance for bail as their Lawyer did request and was denied.

Reporter with out Borders Did complain about their treatment and incarceration as did the OPA, the African Press Organization as well.

Now those are by far not the first cases in so called Free and democratic Niger and as it seems they wont be the last cases either by a long shot. 

The lack of attention and concern by Western Nations and the UNO is mind bungling and astonishing by now, since this has been going on since 1995 and is getting worth not only by the each passing Year but rather by the day since the beginning of 2008.

It is great time that people in the still free World speak up and out on behalf of all those that can no longer do so them self. As Dieter Bornhofer said as the NAZI took him away and latter executed him "( First they came for the Socialist and Communist and I said nothing, then they came for the Gipsy and homosexual and I said nothing, then they came for the Jews and handicapped and I was still to afraid to speak up, Now they have come for me and their is no one left to speak up for me!)"

Please do remember his Maxim and act now for tomorrow it may be to late and our own turn to be incarcerated.