Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva Switzerland and the United Nations Secretary General in New York to mount pressure on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to deploy armed security operatives to kill protesters planning peaceful protests on October 1, 2024 to demonstrate against the heightened costs of living and bad governance.
HURIWA said its decision to make use of the media of mass communication to appeal to the United Nations is due to mounting evidence that the federal government of Nigeria under President Tinubu is already deploying well-armed security operatives to shoot at peaceful protesters on October 1st just as the armed security agencies carried out targeted killings of over two dozens of protesters who participated in the August 2024 #ENDBADGOVERNANCE# protests across the Country.
The rights organization in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said that those who killed peaceful protesters would be penciled down and dragged to the International Criminal Court in The Hague Netherlands over crimes against humanity.
HURIWA further said; “We are warning the military and police service chiefs including the head of the nation’s secret police to note that they may have to be dragged to the ICC in The Hague Netherlands to be held accountable over the lawless killings of peaceful protesters in Nigeria no matter how long it takes to achieve this objective by the organised civil Rights community in Nigeria”.
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It expressed shock that for nearly two months after many peaceful protesters were extra-judicially killed by armed security forces deployed by the Nigerian government, the United Nations and virtually all the so-called leading lights of democracy such as the President of the USA, Mr. Joe Biden, the Prime Minister of United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union leaders maintained conspiratorial silence over the bloodshed by the Nigerian government and have continued to do business with the Nigerian government even when civilians were massacred by security agents for simply exercising their constitutionally guaranteed fundamental freedoms to hold peaceful demonstrations in Nigeria.
HURIWA said that the continuous suppression of civic space by government making use of brute forces of armed security operatives is capable of endangering constitutional democracy in Nigeria.
It therefore reminded the UN Human Rights Council of her obligations to protect human rights defenders and ensure that member Nations of the United Nations such as Nigeria which subscribed to several human rights treaties, respect, uphold and protect the constitutionally protected fundamental freedoms just as the UNHRC stated in its official mandate thus; “Everyone has the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, which are essential components of democracy. The right of peaceful assembly includes the right to hold meetings, sit-ins, strikes, rallies, events or protests, both offline and online.
“The right to freedom of association involves the right of individuals to interact and organize among themselves to collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests.
“This includes the right to form trade unions. Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association serve as a vehicle for the exercise of many other rights guaranteed under international law, including the rights to freedom of expression and to take part in the conduct of public affairs. The right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association is protected by article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” HURIWA noted.
It also reminded the United Nations Human Rights Council that: “UN Human Rights has a mandate to promote and protect the right of peaceful assembly and association. This involves providing technical advice, tools and guidance to all stakeholders on measures needed to facilitate and protect the enjoyment of these rights as well as conducting monitoring and reporting on how these rights are protected in practice. We also provide advice and monitoring of the management of protests, including on the use of force and supporting the promotion of dialogue to address the issues that underlie protests. Additionally, our work involves advising on the enabling environment and legal framework needed for the operation of associations”.