Press Release
We the undersigned Civil Society Organisations condemn in totality, the recent attack on Amnesty International, Abuja. We find such undemocratic action against a credible global movement as disheartening and a huge setback for democracy and human rights in Nigeria, considering how much civil society organisations have fought to ensure the right to freedom of expression.
Amnesty International is a credible global movement that campaigns for human rights. It is independent of any political ideology, economic interest or religious affiliations and is reputed to report facts established by empirical research. The 2016 Annual Report is not an exception. It is based on verifiable facts, including documented interviews of real victims. Amnesty International reported issues of arbitrary arrests both in the North East and Niger Delta; death penalties carried out in a Benin prison in Edo State; the killing of over 100 members and supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
None of these has been disproved by the protesters. Their resort to issuance of threats and ultimatums reveals a deficit in their capacity for intellectual discourse and casts doubts on their genuineness as part of the civil society they claim to be. On the contrary, they should be demanding an investigation instead of attacking the source of information. If the government has said they would investigate the report, and even the army has mentioned that an investigation would be carried out, why are the protesters issuing threats and ultimatums for the organisation to shut down its operations in Nigeria? We find this a case of crying more than the bereaved.
In a country where the roles civil society organisations play are critical and cannot be quantified, as they help the citizens hold the government accountable, it would be detrimental to the growth of the nation as a democracy and counter-productive to human rights and the right to freedom of expression, especially where issues of basic human rights to life, freedom and dignity of human persons are threatened.
We recognise the fact that this attack is not just an attack on Amnesty International, but those civil society groups that are in support of ensuring the non-violation of human rights in Nigeria. If Amnesty International is given the boot, as some are clamouring, it would mean anyone can sponsor certain people to protest against a civil society organisation that steps on its toes or that is bold to declare the truth it has uncovered.
While we understand the concerns expressed by Nigerians about the possibility of Amnesty International human rights report ‘favouring’ some groups, it is essential that the country adheres to the laws governing it and ensures that the fundamental human rights of citizens are guaranteed.
May we use this medium to remind the ill-informed protestors and their pay masters that human rights issues are global and that they are guaranteed in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as in several other international instruments to which Nigeria is already a signatory. These rights are also protected through such institutions as the National Human Rights Commission. Therefore, to reduce it to Amnesty International and think such reports would go away if they leave Nigeria is the height of ignorance as there are several Nigerian civil society organizations who would still continue to speak up whenever violations occur.
We therefore call on the Federal Government and relevant security agencies to, as a matter of urgency, investigate the findings of Amnesty International’s 2016 Annual Report and also the attack on Amnesty International, Abuja, in order to ensure that those that are taking the law into their hands are cautioned without infringing on their human rights.
Signed
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)
Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)
Centre for Advance Social Sciences (CASS)
Environmental Rights Agenda/Friends of the Earth (ERA)
National Tax Justice and Governance Platform, Nigeria
Say No Campaign
Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)
Zero-Corruption Coalition (ZCC)
Accountability Maternal New-born and Child Health in Nigeria (AMHiN)
Protest to Power Movement
Partners on Electoral Reform
State of the Union (SOTU)
Women in Nigeria
African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)
National Procurement Watch Platform
Say NO Campaign—Nigeria
Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civil Education (CHRICED)
Social Action
Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA)
Partners West Africa-Nigeria
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