Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, have called for the release of detained human rights lawyer and activist, Mr Dele Farotimi, along with other detained bloggers and journalists.
Making the call during a press conference titled ‘Nigeria; Backsliding on Human Rights and Media Freedom’ which was held in Lagos to commemorate this year’s Human Rights Day, the General Secretary of the NGE, Mr Iyobosa Uwugiaren also called on President Tinubu to order immediate and thorough investigations into all pending matters concerning incarcerated journalists.
“We call on Nigerian authorities at all levels to immediately and unconditionally release all journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders, and activists detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights and doing their legitimate work, including activist Gildi Faroti, who is facing criminal defamation and Sinatra charges. We urge President Bola Abedinogun and his government to publicly call on Nigerian State Governor, the Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Services, DSS, to uphold and ensure full respect for the rights of everyone in the country, including journalists, human rights defenders, and activists. We equally call on President Tulugun and his government to ensure the prompt, thorough, impartial, transparent, and effective investigation into all allegations of human rights violations against journalists and other human rights defenders.”
In the joint press statement released by both SERAP and the NGE, he also called on the federal, state and local government executives to uphold press freedoms and obey court orders.
Also Read: SERAP Urges Tinubu to Probe ₦57 Billion Allegedly Missing from Humanitarian Ministry
According to the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, CJID, Press Attack Tracker, there have been 110 verified attacks on the press in the year 2024. In comparison to the previous year, the press attacks between the first and third quarters of 2024 have surpassed that of the entire year in 2023.
The event had in attendance Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, the Deputy Director of SERAP, Mr Eze Anaba, the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors as well as Mr Richard Akinnola, former editor of the Vanguard Newspapers.
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