Socio-Economic Rights and
Accountability Project (SERAP) has described the decision by Justice Taiwo Taiwo
of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering the immediate release of the
convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, from the custody of the
Department of State Service as “a victory for the rule of law, human rights and
judicial independence.”
An Abuja Federal High Court on
Tuesday granted co-convener of the RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore bail.
In a statement on
Tuesday signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said, “It’s a
huge relief that Sowore will be freed and can finally return to his family and
journalism work. He should never have been detained in the first place. The
Nigerian authorities should now withdraw all the charges against him and allow
freedom of expression and media freedom to flourish. It’s good for everyone.
“The Nigerian authorities now
have to fully comply with this ruling by immediately releasing Sowore. The
decision is a timely reminder of Nigeria’s constitutional and international
obligations to protect journalists, activists, and Nigerians in general, and to
put a stop to its current practice of restricting the civic space.
“We hope this decision will make
the Nigerian authorities and state governors stop and reflect on their ongoing
crackdown on freedom of expression and media freedom including online, and also
help to put an end to other human rights violations of journalists and citizens
in general. Other journalists like Agba Jalingo and Ekanem Ekpo currently being
detained, must be immediately and unconditionally released.
“If a court found it possible to
release Sowore, we are sure that all the circumstances were studied, and an
objective decision was made.
It would be recalled that SERAP
had on Saturday sent an open letter to Mr. Abukabar Malami, SAN, Attorney
General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, urging him to use his
position “to without delay enter a nolle prosequi and discontinue the
prosecution of the Convener of ‘RevolutionNow’ protest and publisher of Sahara
Reporters, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, and Olawale Bakare, also known as Mandate for
apparently politically motivated charges of treason, fraud and ‘insulting
President Muhammadu Buhari’.”
SERAP said: “We urge you to use
your role as a trustee of the public interest under section 174 of the Nigerian
Constitution of 1999 (as amended) to end several of similar trumped-up cases
going on in several states.”
SERAP’s letter reads in part:
“Sowore’s case and several similar cases instigated/brought by state governors
make a hideous mockery of Nigeria’s criminal justice systems, rule of law,
freedom of expression and media freedom. These cases are persecution and not
prosecution. As guardian of the public interest, you have a role to end this
travesty now, and to maintain the sanctity and integrity of Nigeria’s justice
system.”
“These cases set a dangerous
precedent for the misuse and subversion of the justice system, which may lead
to the politicization of the judiciary. This will be bad for everyone—ordinary
citizens, journalists and even the politicians in power, as they may themselves
become targets of these repressive and abusive tactics when they are out of
power/in opposition.”
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