Human Rights Watch (HRW) launched a statement on Friday condemning the treason costs leveled towards protestors in Nigeria final month, which may be punishable by loss of life.
The group discovered that 124 folks have been arrested in Nigeria in the course of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria marketing campaign in August, and 10 of these people have been charged with treason.
HRW Nigeria Researcher Anietie Ewang stated that “by charging protesters with treason, the Nigerian authorities are sending a troubling message about their intolerance for dissent.” Ewang added, “Of their relentless effort to suppress dissent, the Nigerian authorities should not solely violating extra rights and the rule of regulation, but in addition deepening public mistrust within the authorities.”
The ten people charged with treason have been made to appear on the Abuja Federal Excessive Courtroom on September 2. The cost was offered on the premise of the accused allegedly “making an attempt to destabilise Nigeria, searching for to take away the president, waging conflict towards the federal government, and inciting mutiny.” As per Section 37 of the Nigerian Prison Code Act, the crime of treason may be punishable by loss of life. The bail listening to is presently set for September 11.
The #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria marketing campaign, which entailed widespread protests throughout the nation, stemmed out of collective frustration on the acute financial hardship in Nigeria and known as on the federal government to take speedy steps in direction of enhancing the state of affairs. The protests, which started on August 1 and lasted for 10 days, took a violent flip and resulted in an estimated 21 deaths. They got here to an finish on account of the robust police crackdown.
As per Article 40 of the Nigerian Structure, “[E]very particular person shall be entitled to assemble freely.” Nonetheless, the latest chain of occasions whereby the state has imposed a crackdown on protests and dissenters has garnered a lot criticism from worldwide rights organizations.
A brand new motion has been gaining traction on on-line platform X (previously Twitter), by the title of #FearlessInOctober. Although the state was capable of shut down the “ten days of rage” in August, the brand new motion alerts a potential revival of protest and dissent towards the Nigerian authorities.
Source / Picture: jurist.org
