Amnesty International has condemned the planned mass trial of hundreds of protesters arrested during the nationwide hunger and hardship demonstrations.
In a statement issued on Monday, Isa Sanusi, the Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, criticized the Nigerian government’s approach to the situation. Sanusi described the trials as a blatant attempt to punish dissent and suppress critical voices.
The protests took place from August 1 to 10, 2024.
“Amnesty International condemns the sham trial of the protesters even before it began, 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.
Sanusi further highlighted the severity of the charges being brought against the protesters, including treason, which carries the death penalty, and accusations of a “plan to destabilise Nigeria.”
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“These are blatantly trumped-up charges that must be immediately withdrawn,” he asserted.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.
“We condemn the 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,” Sanusi stated.
“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.
Amnesty International also criticised the government’s failure to address the violent crackdown on protesters in various regions, where dozens were killed and many others subjected to severe violations by security forces.
“The Nigerian government has been wrongfully prioritising the punishment of protesters, without even addressing the urgent need to investigate the killing of dozens of protesters across Kano, Katsina, Suleja/Tafa, Jigawa, and Maiduguri,” Sanusi remarked, adding that many protesters had faced “other horrific violations by security personnel, including excessive use of force and misuse of tear gas.”
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.
“We urge the Nigerian authorities to end this mockery of the rule of law. The authorities must uphold and protect fundamental human rights,” Sanusi emphasised.
“Instead of investing in desperate attempts to punish dissent, the government should listen to critics and address rampant insecurity, corruption, and mismanagement. Giving more attention to rescuing millions of Nigerians from the brink of starvation should be the top priority of the government, not punishing protesters,” he added.