Niger’s public prosecutor seeks five years for lawyer Abdourahamane Lirwana over online posts
Prosecution demands five-year term and fine for Niamey lawyer
Abdourahamane Lirwana, a member of the Nigerien bar, appeared before the Niamey High Court on Tuesday 6 October to answer charges related to his social media activity. The public prosecutor requested a sentence of five years of strict imprisonment and a fine of five million CFA francs.
Lirwana had been remanded in custody fifteen days earlier. The case marks another escalation in the confrontation between the judiciary and outspoken lawyers in Niger.
Online posts at the centre of the case
The prosecution is based on content published by Lirwana on social networks. The authorities accuse him of “disseminating data likely to disturb public order,” an offence severely punished under Niger’s cybercrime legislation.
The hearing unfolded amid procedural tensions. Twenty-four hours before it began, the defence team had petitioned the Court of State to transfer the case, arguing that the Niamey court could not guarantee the independence required for a fair trial. The higher court rejected the request and kept the proceedings in the capital.
Defence opts for silence as trial proceeds
Convinced that the rights of the defence were being blatantly violated, Lirwana’s lawyers refused to plead. Following their instructions, the accused remained completely silent when questioned by the presiding judge and the prosecutor.
Despite the absence of defence arguments, the court closed the proceedings and took the case under advisement. The final ruling, now eagerly awaited by legal circles and civil society, will determine the lawyer’s fate in a context of tightening controls on public speech across digital platforms.
