#EndBadGovernance: Amnesty International Condemns Planned Trial of Protesters
Amnesty International has condemned the planned mass trial of hundreds of protesters arrested during the nationwide hunger and hardship protests.
In a statement by the Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, released on Monday, labelled the trials as an attempt to punish dissent and stifle critical voices.
The protests were held between August 1 to 10, 2024.
“Amnesty International condemns the sham trial of the protesters even before it beg #EndBadGovernance: Amnesty International Condemns Planned Trial of Protesters an, and calls for an end to these endless bizarre attempts to deprive people of the right to peaceful protest. The unfair trial is only a disguised exercise solely aimed at punishing 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.
“Amnesty International is deeply concerned that the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters arraigned nationwide today are only going to be subjected to another round of the government’s unrelenting efforts to punish protesters and demonise protests,” said Sanusi.
He described these charges as “blatantly trumped-up” and demanded their immediate withdrawal.
“These are blatantly trumped-up charges that must be immediately withdrawn,” he asserted.
Amnesty International faulted the nature of the trials, condemning them as a sham even before they had begun.
The organisation called for an immediate end to what it described as “endless bizarre attempts” to deprive citizens of their 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,” he added.
The rights group also urged the Nigerian government to release all those detained during the protests, emphasising that their right to peaceful assembly should be protected rather than criminalised.
“The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all those arrested from 1 to 10 August for exercising their right to peaceful assembly, instead of resorting to putting them through an unfair trial just to unlawfully justify detaining them,” Sanusi demanded.
He highlighted the ongoing human rights violations faced by the detained protesters, including denial of access to family, legal assistance, and medical care.
“Since the arrests of the protesters, Amnesty International has been receiving disturbing reports of the violation of the rights of those detained, including denial of access to family, legal assistance, and medical care where needed,” said Sanusi.
The organisation urged the Nigerian government to uphold the rule of law and focus on addressing the country’s pressing issues, such as insecurity, corruption, and widespread poverty.
