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Sowore, Jalingo are prisoners of conscience –Amnesty International

Clement Daniel
Clement Daniel
Revolution Now: Court orders Malami to pay Sowore N200,000
Sowore

Amnesty International, Nigeria, has declared Omoyele Sowore, Olawale Bakare and Agba Jalingo as prisoners of conscience, just as it called for their immediate release.

Sowore and Bakare are in detention in connection with the Revolution Now protest which was against the Federal Government.

Despite the order of the court for the release of the men, the Department of State Services has refused to let them off the hook.

Jalingo, a journalist, is facing trial over his criticism of Rivers State government.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its programme manager, Seun Bakare, Amnesty International said it was obvious that the government was attacking journalists and activists in order to silence opposing views.

The statement reads:  “We consider Sowore, Jalingo and Bakare to be prisoners of conscience detained solely for exercising their human rights.

“The Nigerian authorities must drop all charges against them and release them immediately and unconditionally.

“Sowore, Jalingo and Bakare’s continued detention is a matter of shame for Nigeria. Their cases show just how far the authorities in Nigeria can go to silence their critics.

“The government of President Muhammadu Buhari needs to stop filing bogus and politically motivated charges against critics, and start listening to what they have to say.

“The flawed charges and sham trials of Sowore, Jalingo and Bakare expose the inadequacies and bizarre manipulation of the Nigerian criminal justice system and an unacceptable contempt for the rule of law and human rights.”

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