Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of 23-year-old journalist Farida Isiak, who was sentenced to four years in prison or a fine of N1.75 million over a Facebook post criticising the police in Kaduna State.
The human rights organisation said her arrest and punishment “were clearly because of her attempt to expose abuses by the police.”
“Sentencing a journalist to 4-years in prison after a sham trial is a travesty of justice,” it said.
Isiak, a reporter with Nagarta Radio in Kaduna, was reportedly arrested at about 10pm on October 20 by officers under the command of Usman Adamu, the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos.
According to Amnesty International, the incident began with a minor dispute between Isiak’s mother and a neighbour over N100 change during a charcoal sale.
The police initially arrested her mother and later detained her father when he went to secure her release, “using their detention as leverage to force Farida to come to the police station.”
At the police station, officers accused Isiak of defaming them in a Facebook post in which she criticised their alleged unlawful treatment of her parents.
She reportedly deleted the post and apologised after pressure from the police, hoping this would lead to her parents’ release. However, the officers allegedly kept her in custody and took her to a Sharia Court in Kawo.
The presiding judge subsequently sentenced her to four years in prison or a fine of N1.75 million for defamation, “completely ignoring the initial police misconduct and the abusive actions that led to the incident.”
Amnesty International condemned the case, saying: “The arrest, detention, and hasty sentencing of Farida Isiak are a flagrant abuse of power by the police and weaponization of the judicial system to silence free speech and intimidate journalists.”
The organisation added that “arresting and holding a citizen’s parents to force a journalist to hand herself over is an unlawful tactic that violates rule of law. Demanding accountability for police actions is a constitutional right”.
It urged the Kaduna State Police Command and Nigerian judicial authorities to “immediately release Farida Isiak, drop all charges, and cancel the fine imposed on her.”
Amnesty International also called on the Nigeria Police Force to conduct a full and independent investigation into the actions of the officers involved in the alleged unlawful detention of Isiak’s parents.
“Nigerian authorities must stop using defamation charges and the legal system to harass journalists and restrict press freedom,” it said.