Okay, we kind of lied in the headline. Niger’s top court, recently established by the ruling junta following last year’s coup is actually called the “State Court,” not the “Supreme Court.”
But the rest of it is accurate, as the AP reports that the Nigerien State Court on Friday ruled former President Mohamed Bazoum can face trial for high treason and undermining national security, the same alleged offenses for which he was deposed and later arrested when he tried to flee the turbulent West African country. Outsiders such as Human Rights Watch have decried that the proceedings so far have been marred by serious irregularities and that Bazoum is being screwed by lack of access to counsel, ability to present evidence, and to be heard before an independent court.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS’s highest court last year also called for Bazoum to be released and restored to office, which might kind of indicate that this really is a miscarriage of justice – whether or not Bazoum is a good guy or was a decent enough leader – and that the soldiers who overthrew him were a bunch of fucking punks and probably traitors themselves. The country was a front and Bazoum a security partner in the West’s fight against ISIS – the only one in the region, per the AP. Since the coup however all US and French troops have been expelled.