Turk also highlighted that the concept of freedom within Niger is currently in jeopardy.
On August 13, 2023, the Niger junta announced its intention to bring charges of high treason against Bazoum, who was removed from office, citing his interactions with foreign heads of state and international organizations.
Colonel Amadou Abdramane, the junta's spokesperson, asserted that the military authorities had acquired the necessary evidence to initiate a high treason prosecution against the former president, accusing him of undermining both the internal and external security of Niger.
Responding to this development, the UN human rights chief was quoted by Reuters on Friday as stating, "This decision is not only politically motivated against a democratically elected President but has no legal basis as the normal functioning of democratic institutions has been cast aside.
"The very notion of freedoms in Niger is at stake. Generals cannot take it upon themselves to defy – at a whim – the will of the people. Rule-by-gun has no place in today’s world."
Following the coup, Bazoum has been imprisoned by the coup leaders, who have also dissolved the elected government of Niger. The nation, a significant producer of uranium and a Western ally in the fight against an Islamist insurgency, is now under the control of the junta.
