NIGER: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH RESEARCHER DETAINED

C O N F I D E N T I A L NIAMEY 000499

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2013
TAGS: PHUM CASC NG
SUBJECT: NIGER: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH RESEARCHER DETAINED

REF: 07 NIAMEY 1432

Classified By: Donald W, Koran, DCM, reasons 1.4 (b/d)


1. (SBU) Corinne Dufka, Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher
for West Africa, called DCM at 8:20 the morning of May 14 to
report that gendarmes were outside her hotel room. Dufka had
been in Niger since May 5 looking into human rights issues.
She had met with the Ambassador, DCM and the USAID
development coordinator on May 7 and was scheduled to have
lunch with them on May 14 to brief them on her trip before
returning to Dakar that evening. She had last visited Niamey
in December (reftel).


2. (C) DCM, RSO and FSNI went to Dufka's hotel. There were
several gendarmes in the hallway, but they did not prevent
the Embassy staff from entering Dufka's room. Dufka was
e-mailing and then deleting notes from her computer to avoid
them falling into the gendarmes hands and possibly
incriminating her contacts. She was also concerned about her
notebook, which she gave to the DCM. At that point, she let
the Gendarmes into her room. Rather than search the room as
they had told Dufka they wished to do, they took Dufka to the
gendarmerie headquarters.


3. (SBU) Embassy staff also went to the Gendarme headquarters
to inquire about the situation. The DCM asked the officer in
charge, who identified himself as Captain Issoufou, about the
situation, and specifically whether Dufka was being detained
and charged. Issoufou explained that a person of interest to
the Nigerien authorities had visited Dufka at her hotel,
which prompted their interest in Dufka. He downplayed the
seriousness of the situation, saying that Dufka should be
able to make her 1230 lunch at the DCR. The DCM reminded
Issoufou of his consular notification responsibilities. As
the Embassy staff was meeting with Issoufou, several other
Gendarmes left the headquarters with Dufka, apparently to
return to the hotel to search Dufka's room.


4. (SBU) When Dufka did not appear at the lunch, the FSNI
contacted the gendarmes to inquire about her whereabouts.
When they said that Dufka was still being held, the consular
officer went to the Gendarme headquarters where he was able
to meet with Dufka. Dufka said that the gendarmes had told
her that they would not release her until she provided them
the names of people she met and gave them her notes. She
asked the consular officer to notify several people about her
situation. She did not complain about mistreatment, and said
the gendarmes were acting in a professional manner.


5. (C) The DATT contacted the head of the gendarmerie, who
said that Dufka was being held on the Interior Minister's
orders. (Note: the Gendarmerie falls under the Defense
Ministry. Normally the police, who fall under the Interior
Ministry, handle criminal investigations in urban areas,
although the Gendarmes have taken on that role in issues
involving national security since the rebellion began last
year.)


6. (C) The Ambassador contacted the Foreign Minister, who
claimed to be unaware of the incident, but promised to look
into it.


7. (C) At Dufka's request, the consular officer contacted
Nigerien President Tandja's nephew in Senegal regarding the
case. The nephew said he would try to contact Tandja.


8. (U) Consular officer will provide further details in
consular channels.
ALLEN