“Mr. Tandja has violated the constitution and he must be tried. If not one day another man as head of state can do what he has done that is very, very bad. Our former constitution provides in item 42 that when the president does not respect the Constitutional Court’s decision he is in a situation of impeachment because of high treason. And he (Tandja) must be tried for high treason now,” Mohammed said.

Abdul Kamardine, a human rights activist based in the capital, Niamey said the former constitution carries a death sentence for high treason.

APSupporters of a military coup demonstrate in front of the National Assembly in Niamey, 20 Feb 2010

But Mohammed said the opposition will not seek the death sentence for Mr. Tandja.

“The most important is for him to be tried…he must be condemned but I don’t think that here in Niger it is necessary to condemn to death anybody even Mr. Tandja,”

“I think that they have to keep him (Tandja) and when we will be in a democratic power with democratic institutions, we have to try him. Not today but they must keep him in jail,” Mohammed said.

The international community including The United Nations, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the military takeover despite the junta’s promise of a swift return to constitutional rule.

Opposition leader Mohammed said his group will suggest to the military government a six to nine-month period within which to organize democratic elections.