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MRA Calls for Action for Release of
Incarcerated Activists and Journalists
In the course of the last four weeks, Nigerian
pro-democracy activists have embarked on various efforts to persuade the
military government of General Sanni Abacha to terminate military rule,
restore all democratic structures that were proscribed in November, 1993,
as well as conclude the process of transition to full democratic
governance by relinquishing power to the winner of the June 12, 1993
elections, which were acknowledged locally and internationally to have
been free, fair and orderly.
The military government of General Sanni Abacha has
responded to these pro-democracy efforts with measures that are not only
repressive and clearly demonstrate its unwillingness to accommodate
adverse political view, but which also amount to gross violation of the
rights of the victims of these measures. In the course of the last three
weeks more than thirty pro-democracy activists have been arrested and
detained under most inhumane conditions. Most of the detainees have been
refused police bail (a right specifically guaranteed under the Nigerian
constitution) and they have often been denied access to their family,
friends, doctors and legal advisers.
The Nigerian press has not been spared from these
repressive measures. On Saturday, June 11, 1994, the offices of the
‘Concord and Punch’, Mr. Bola Bolawole was held under “office
arrest” for four days. The premises of the newspaper houses were searched
(without a search warrant) and copies of editions scheduled for
publication were seized. No law in Nigeria authorizes or permits the
government to seal up a media house or interfere with its daily
operations. The government has not presented any complaints against the
affected newspaper houses before any of the recognized official channels
namely the Nigerian Press Council and the law courts.
The Media Rights Agenda considers these arrests and
closures to be a subtle but dangerous effort by the military authorities
to censor public discourse and opinion on the political situation of
Nigeria, in addition to being gross violations of the rights of freedom of
expression and the right to political participation guaranteed under the
Nigerian constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’
Rights.
We urge all institutions and organizations involved in the
promotion and protection of human rights and democracy to write politely
worded letters to the underlisted individuals calling for the immediate
and unconditional release of all pr-democracy activists being held by
security authorities and, to refrain from interfering with the operations
of the “Punch’ and ‘Concord’ groups of newspapers.
i.
General Sanni Abacha
State House,
Aso Rock,
Abuja,
Nigeria.
ii.
Dr. Olu Onagoruwa,
Attorney General of
the Federation,
Federal Ministry of
Justice,
Marina, Lagos.
Nigeria.
Tunde Fagbohunlu
Legal Director
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