The rights group, Amnesty International Nigeria condemns the mass trial of #EndBadGovernance demonstrators.
The trial started today in Abuja, Kano, and Kaduna. Following the end bad governance protest in August, a large number of demonstrators were arrested by security officers
AI condemned their mass trial in a statement on its X platform on Monday, saying: “Amnesty International condemns the protestors’ sham trial even before it began, and calls for an end to these endless absurd attempts to deprive people of the right to peaceful protest. The unfair trial is nothing more than a disguised exercise to punish dissenters.
“Some of the charges to be filed against the protesters, ranging from treason, which carries the death penalty and allegations of ‘plans to destabilize Nigeria,’ show how far the Nigerian authorities can go in manipulating the criminal justice system to silence critical voices.
“The Nigerian government has been wrongfully placing priority on punishing protesters, without saying even a word on the urgent need to impartially investigate the killing of dozens of protesters across Kano, Katsina, Suleja/Tafa, Jigawa and Maiduguri.
“These attempts by President Bola Tinubu’s government to charge those who protested widespread poverty and rampant corruption with treason is beyond absurd and baseless”.
“We condemn these sham trials even before they begin and call for an end to these endless, bizarre attempts to deprive people of the right to peaceful protest. What is going to happen to these protesters — who took to the streets last month seeking good governance — is a disguised exercise solely aimed at punishing dissenters.”
“The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all those arrested from 1-10 August for exercising their right to peaceful assembly, instead of subjecting them to an unfair trial just to justify detaining them unlawfully.”
“The Nigerian government has been wrongfully placing priority on punishing protesters, without saying even a word about the urgent need to investigate the killing of dozens of protesters across Kano, Katsina, Suleja/Tafa, Jigawa, and Maiduguri. Many protesters were subjected to other horrific violations by security personnel, including excessive use of force and misuse of tear gas.”
“We urge the Nigerian authorities to end this mockery of the rule of law. The authorities have an obligation to uphold and protect fundamental human rights. Instead of investing in desperate attempts to punish dissent, the government should listen to critics and address rampant insecurity, corruption, and mismanagement. Rescuing millions of Nigerians from the brink of starvation should be the top priority of the government, not punishing protesters.”
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