Criminal law in Niger

Niger's criminal-law system is based on legality, personal criminal responsibility, rules on attempts and complicity, territorial jurisdiction, investigation, trial, defence and appeal. The Journal officiel de la République du Niger (JORN) is the authoritative reference for publication and entry into force. Because a complete consolidated text of the 2026 codes is not available through the accessible official web source, exact article numbers and penalty ranges should be checked against a current JORN copy before relying on them. A complaint or report can be submitted to the Police Judiciaire, the Gendarmerie Nationale or the Procureur de la République. The Police Judiciaire and Gendarmerie collect statements, preserve scenes and evidence, prepare procès-verbaux and transmit the file to the Parquet, meaning the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor decides whether to close the matter or prosecute. Where the law requires a judicial investigation, a juge d'instruction conducts it. A criminal case can proceed from complaint or report to investigation, prosecution, information judiciaire, judgment, appeal and, where permitted, a pourvoi before the Cour Suprême. The Cour Suprême reviews legal and procedural issues rather than the facts. A revision may be possible when a new fact creates serious doubt about the decision. Criminal courts and authorities include the Tribunal d'Instance, Tribunal de Grande Instance, Cour d'Appel and Cour Suprême. Terrorism and transnational organised-crime cases have specialised structures, including the Pôle Judiciaire Spécialisé and the relevant Cour d'Appel de Niamey arrangements. The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has identified faster and simpler proceedings as a 2025–2027 priority, but no reliable national average duration is established. A contradictory criminal judgment can generally be appealed within 10 days, while a penal cassation application generally has a 5-day period; the current procedural text and the form of the decision determine how the period applies. The Agence Nationale de l'Assistance Juridique et Judiciaire (ANAJJ) provides a public pathway to legal help. Assistance Juridique offers free information, referral and consultation without a means test. Assistance Judiciaire can provide a lawyer or court-appointed counsel and cover procedure costs, generally after proof of indigence. Automatic categories include minors prosecuted or victims before a criminal court, accused persons before the Cour d'Assises and certain disabled persons or women affected by specified violence. Local offices operate in Agadez, Arlit, Diffa, Dosso, Konni, Maradi, Tahoua, Tillabéri, Niamey and Zinder, subject to case and office capacity. Possible criminal measures include imprisonment, fines, seizure, confiscation and additional measures. Preventive detention is separate from a sentence. Juvenile proceedings use protective, educational and reintegration measures; a child below 13 is criminally irresponsible but may receive a protective measure, while proceedings for ages 13 to 18 generally involve the juvenile judge or juvenile court, mandatory instruction and a lawyer or court-appointed counsel. Publicly accessible juvenile provisions should be checked against the 2026 codes and JORN. Victims can report to the Police Judiciaire, Gendarmerie or Parquet and may participate in the criminal process through an action civile under the current criminal-procedure rules. Trafficking legislation provides specific protection and assistance, including protection of identity and security information. There is no independently verified general nationwide witness-protection service. ANAJJ, the Direction Générale des Droits de l'Homme, Protection Judiciaire Juvénile and Action Sociale may provide relevant support. Niger's road-traffic code and special criminal statutes cover road deaths and injuries, hit-and-run conduct, intoxicated or drugged driving and dangerous driving. Cybercrime law covers unauthorised access, interception, interference, damage to systems or data, computer fraud and forgery, electronic evidence and harmful electronic dissemination. Digital evidence should be preserved with the device, metadata, account details, URL, timestamps and chain-of-custody information. Ordonnance 2024-28 restored criminal penalties for electronic defamation and insult, but the interaction of these rules with the 2026 codes must be verified in the current consolidated text.