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