Media foundation protests sentence

The Accra-based Media Foundation for West Africa has protested against the "rather harsh" sentence handed down by a court in Niger on Bagnou Bonkoukou a human rights activist. Bonkoukou who heads Niger's human rights league was sentenced on 19 September to a one-year jail term and a 20,000 CFA francs fine (US $30), in a case revolving around last month's mutiny in the country. "This rather harsh sentence on Elhaji [Bonkoukou] comes in spite of ongoing mediation efforts by the president of the Interafrican Human Rights Union and MFWA board member, Halidou Ouedraogo to secure his release," MFWA said in a statement on Monday. The organisation said it was "appalled by the demonstrated intolerance of free expression by Niger's Prime Minister Hama Amadou and the government". Bonkoukou was arrested on 15 August, a few days after citing a higher death toll during a radio broadcast than the government had declared. According to the authorities in Niger, Bonkoukou was arrested in violation of a decree by President Mamadou Tandja which forbade the dissemination of information about the mutiny. The decree has since been lifted. Soldiers started the mutiny (in Diffa, eastern Niger, and in the capital, Niamey) on 31 July, demanding better pay and living conditions. They also attempted to take over army barracks. On 9 August, the government announced that it quelled the uprising.