TWO FRENCH JOURNALISTS ARRESTED IN NIGER FACE DEATH SENTENCES
January 11th 2008 08:40
Two French journalists arrested in Niger in west Africa face a possible death sentence when they go on trial next week, according to the Independent.
Thomas Dandois, a reporter, and Pierre Creisson, a cameraman, who were working for the Franco-German television channel, Arte, were arrested on December 17.
They were accused by the Niger authorities of visiting Tuareg rebels in the north of the country without permission, a charge punishable by death.
They are charged with, ‘involvement with armed gangs’, by whom the authorities mean the Tuareg separatist rebels who have been active in the north since last February.
Last Thursday, an appeal for clemency was made by France to Niger's government, calling on it to release the two journalists who were, ‘fulfilling their duty to inform the public’.
On Tuesday, several of the men’s relatives and colleagues appealed directly to Niger's President, Mamadou Tandja, in a letter published in the newspaper Le Monde.
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