A Sharia Court in Kawo, Kaduna State, has sentenced a 23-year-old journalist, Farida Isiak, to four years in prison or a fine of N1.75 million over a defamation charge.
Isiak, a reporter with Nagarta Radio in Kaduna, was sentenced after she allegedly criticised police officers in a Facebook post over their treatment of her parents.
A statement by Amnesty International on Wednesday, condemning the sentence, said the journalist was arrested at about 10pm on Monday, October 19, by police officers under the command of the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos, Usman Adamu.
According to the organisation, the incident began with a disagreement between Isiak’s mother and a neighbour over N100 change from a charcoal sale. It alleged that police officers arrested her mother and later detained her father when he went to secure her release.
Amnesty International said the officers subsequently used the detention of her parents to compel Isiak to report to the police station, where she was accused of defaming them in the Facebook post.
The organisation said Isiak deleted the post and apologised at the officers’ request in the hope of securing her parents’ release, but was nevertheless detained and taken before the court, which handed down the four-year sentence or N1.75 million fine.
Describing the arrest and sentencing as vindictive, Amnesty International accused the police of abusing their powers and using the judicial system to intimidate journalists and suppress freedom of expression.
The organisation called on the Kaduna State Police Command and relevant judicial authorities to secure Isiak’s immediate release, drop the charges and cancel the fine.
It also urged the Nigeria Police Force to conduct a full and independent investigation into the conduct of the officers involved in the incident.
Amnesty International maintained that demanding accountability for police actions was a constitutional right and called on Nigerian authorities to stop using defamation charges to harass journalists and restrict press freedom.