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Niger orders reporters' release Niger orders reporters' release
(30 minutes later)
A judge in Niger has ordered the release on bail of two French television journalists.A judge in Niger has ordered the release on bail of two French television journalists.
Thomas Dandois and Pierre Cression are accused of colluding with Tuareg rebels and could face the death penalty if convicted.Thomas Dandois and Pierre Cression are accused of colluding with Tuareg rebels and could face the death penalty if convicted.
The two reporters for European TV station ARTE were arrested in mid-December.The two reporters for European TV station ARTE were arrested in mid-December.
Two local journalists accused of talking with rebels from the Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) remain in jail.Two local journalists accused of talking with rebels from the Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) remain in jail.
Mr Dandois and Mr Cression were arrested after the government said they violated the terms of their accreditation agreement by filming the rebels in the north of the country.
Bail was set at 10 million CFA francs ($22,350, £11,175), their lawyer Moussa Coulibaly said.
"We are trying to get together the deposit, We are optimistic about their trial because they were just doing their job," he told the Reuters news agency.
The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued a statement saying the pair would be free to return to France after their release.
Closed court
The reporters told the authorities they were in the country to report on bird flu, but had gone to film the rebels instead, prosecutors said.
Their footage, including scenes where a Niger soldier is shown chained in the rebel headquarters, was shown to the closed court according to Mr Coulibaly.
Local Radio France International reporter Moussa Kaka and magazine journalist Ibrahim Manzo Diallo are still in jail.
They are accused of having phone contact with the rebels, banned after fighting started in February.
At least 49 government troops have been killed.
The MNJ want more autonomy for the northern region which is rich in uranium.