Nigerian Government Urged to Respect Rights of Protesters | Amnesty International
As the scheduled national demonstration against hardship approaches, Amnesty International urges Nigerian authorities to respect the rights of demonstrators.
Amnesty International’s Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, issued a statement on Wednesday urging the government and security authorities to allow demonstrators to exercise their rights.
“The Nigerian government must ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by both the country’s constitution and human rights treaties such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory. “Government officials must also refrain from using rhetoric to demonize protesters and suppress peaceful dissent,” he stated.
“Authorities must not use the proposed nationwide protests to crack down on human rights, such as the right to free expression and peaceful assembly.” People should be able to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest. Last week, three people were arrested for allegedly supporting protests on social media, highlighting the government’ stance against nonviolent dissent.The rising cost of food is pushing millions of Nigerians deeper into poverty, while countless families are struggling to cover the expenditures of healthcare and education. Instead of increasing persecution and suffocating peaceful dissent, Nigerian authorities must begin to address the root causes of the protests.
“Authorities must show the commitment to upholding the country’s constitutional and international human rights obligations by allowing people to freely exercise their human rights including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.”
See the complete statement below.
Amnesty International
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Nigeria: Authorities must uphold human rights ahead of planned nationwide protests
Ahead of planned nationwide protests in response to food shortages and the cost of living crisis, Amnesty International’s Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, said:
“The Nigerian authorities must ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by both the country’s own constitution and human rights treaties including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party. Government officials must also refrain from issuing rhetoric to demonize protesters and stifle peaceful dissent.
Authorities must not utilize the proposed nationwide protests to crack down on human rights, especially the right to free expression and peaceful assembly. People should be able to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest. The arrests of at least three people last week for allegedly supporting the protests on social media demonstrate the authorities’ intolerance for nonviolent dissent.
“The rising cost of food is pushing millions of Nigerians deeper into poverty, while countless families are struggling to cover the expenditures of healthcare and education. Instead of increasing persecution and suffocating peaceful dissent, Nigerian authorities must begin to address the root causes of the protests.
