HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH RESEARCHER RELEASED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000505 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2013 TAGS: PHUM PREL CASC NG SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH RESEARCHER RELEASED REF: (A) NIAMEY 502 (NOTAL) (B) NIAMEY 501 (NOTAL) (C) NIAMEY 499 (NOTAL) (D) NIAMEY 460 (NOTAL) (E) 07 NIAMEY 1432 NIAMEY 00000505 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Donald W. Koran, DCM, reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (U) Corinne Dufka, Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher for West Africa, was released from detention around 4:30 the afternoon of May 14. She briefed Embassy personnel on both her detention and her ten day visit to Niger during the short time between her release and her departure from Niger later that evening. ¶2. (SBU) Dufka said that the Gendarmes who detained her were very professional and treated her well. She met personally with the head of the Gendarmerie Col. Haruna, whom she had met on a previous visit (ref E). She explained in detail who she was and what she does. She shared with the Gendarmes her last report on Niger and explained how she researches human rights allegations, but did not provide her notes or the names of the people she met in Niger. The Gendarmes explained that a police informant had reported that Tuaregs had met with her at her hotel, which led the police to ask the Gendarmes to detain her. They claimed it was all "a big mistake." Dufka plans to return to Niger in June. ¶3. (C) Comment: It is unclear who ordered Dufka's detention, but we suspect that it had to be someone fairly senior. In any event, wiser heads presumably had the good judgment to conclude that allowing Dufka to depart on her scheduled May 14 flight was in everyone's interest. ¶4. (SBU) Dufka offered the following observations based on her trip to Niger: -- She documented one case of rape by the security forces. -- The killing of camels continues. -- There have been 3 or 5 recent clear cases of extrajudicial killings. -- There are a large number of people being detained related to the conflict. -- Many of the people who are detained or who were killed were probably associated with the MNJ. -- The frequency of landmine incidents is diminishing. -- There have been large displacements of population in the north. -- It is difficult to distinguish between the actions of the MNJ and bandits. -- Some contacts claimed that in May or June 2006 the Alambo brothers recruited about 300 men who were trained in Libya. That group reportedly returned in February 2007 to launch the rebellion. -- Some people associated with the MNJ claimed not to be worried about the government's planned use of attack helicopters, claiming that the MNJ has surface to air missiles. -- The MNJ is currently recruiting fighters. -- A relative of one of the men killed on December 9 said that the GON has taken no action to investigate the case. Some suggested that the motivation behind the incident was a dispute over counterfeit cigarettes. -- A journalist and someone associated with the MNJ both reported that a disproportionate number of alleged human rights abuses were committed by a parachute unit normally based in Maradi that is lead by an officer named Sani. The unit does not fall under the regional commander based in Agadez, but reports directly to Niamey. Comment: This presumably refers to the PSI company and/or the parachute company that is co-located with it. ¶5. (C) At her May 7 meeting with the Ambassador, DCM and Development Coordinator, Dufka reported having seen the transcripts and listened to the tapes of the intercepts of NIAMEY 00000505 002.2 OF 002 RFI reporter Moussa Kaka (ref D and previous) before her current visit to Niger. There were six phone conversations intercepted. The target of the intercepts was not Kaka, but the MNJ figure with whom he spoke. Dufka said that much of the conversations were normal for a journalist and a source, but some of the discussions went beyond that, and indicated Kaka's support for the MNJ. For example, Kaka gave advice on how to spin the international media to portray the MNJ in the most favorable light. He also offered to have some film developed for the group. Dufka said that she has resisted calls from other human rights groups to cite the Kaka case as a press freedom issue because Kaka was not clearly acting only as a journalist. Comment: We have also refrained from citing the Kaka case along with other cases that more clearly represent abridgments of press freedom. ¶6. (U) Minimize considered. ALLEN