The Socio-Economic Rights and
Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to US President, Donald
Trump, asking him to exercise his constitutional powers “pursuant to the
Presidential Proclamations 7750 and 8697 to instruct the US Secretary of State
and US Ambassador in Nigeria to temporarily ban Nigerian state governors and
other senior public officials misusing the criminal justice system to jail
journalists, bloggers, and activists reporting on allegations of corruption
from entering the US.”
SERAP also urged Mr Trump to “use
Presidential Proclamation 8697 (which allows the US Department of State to deny
visas to foreign officials, their families and friends) who participate in
serious human rights violations and other abuses such as misusing the criminal
justice system to jail journalists, bloggers and activists to prevent them from
reporting on allegations of corruption and other related cases.”
The letter followed SERAP’s
report entitled “A Downward Spiral: How Federal and State Authorities are
Tightening the Screws on Media Freedom in Nigeria” and launched today in Lagos.
In the letter dated 30 October,
2019 and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization
said “Democracy demands ‘maximum disclosure’ of all government-held
information, and this won’t happen without respect for media freedom and the
citizens’ rights to know. Undue restrictions on media freedom and the right to
know would imply nothing short of abrogation of the ideals of democracy and
good governance. Citizens’ right to know is vital for social welfare and other
human rights.
“Media freedom and the right of
citizens to know to constitute a crucial bulwark of democracy. It is essential
for the general progress of a democratic society if people are to effectively
monitor their government’s affairs and democratically participate in the
running of society, they must have access to government-held information, which
the media should be allowed to freely report.”
SERAP’s report documents the
increasing cases of harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests and detention
and deaths of journalists, bloggers, and other media workers while carrying out
their legitimate work.
SERAP’s letter read in part:
“Specifically, the report documents cases of attacks on journalists, bloggers
and activists reporting on allegations of corruption and related matters in the
following states of Nigeria: Cross River state; Abia state; Ebonyi state; Kano
state; Jigawa state; Bauchi state; and Kaduna state.
“Also, 109 journalists were
attacked between 2010 and 2015, and several more journalists, bloggers, radio
and TV stations and activists have been targeted since 2015. At least 36 attacks
on journalists were recorded between January and July 2019 alone, 30 of the
attacks happening during the 2019 general elections.
“The attacks and harassment
include arbitrary arrests and detention, physical attacks and even deaths. In
2018, at least 45 radio and TV stations were sanctioned by the authorities on
unfounded allegations of breaching some codes of conduct.
“Proactive initiatives to protect
media freedom and human rights that would invariably contribute to transparency
and accountability globally have always been in the best long-term interests of
the US. Your application of targeted sanctions would reaffirm US commitments to
human rights, and media freedom and help to supplement the criminal justice in
Nigeria and be entirely consistent with the US international obligations.
“SERAP believes that your
government’s imposition of targeted sanctions against those accused of misusing
the criminal justice system to attack, intimidate, harass and jail journalists,
bloggers, and activists in Nigeria would help to deter other state governments,
governors and other senior public officials from limiting the enjoyment of
Nigerians’ right to information about what their government is doing in their
names.
“Such sanctions would not violate
due process and presumption of innocence principles, as long as the reasons for
the sanctions are communicated to those that may be affected, as what is
recommended is a temporary travel ban. We argue that the imposition of
temporary travel bans on public officials complicit in the violation of media
freedom and preventing reporting of allegations of corruption is a preventive
and not punitive measure.
“SERAP, therefore, urges you to
apply the presidential proclamations 7750 and 8697 as instruments of foreign
policy to promote targeted sanctions against state governments, governors and
other senior public officials in Nigeria, just as the US has for many years
applied targeted sanctions, including imposing travel restrictions on
systematic violations of human rights.
“SERAP believes that applying
presidential proclamations 7750 and 8697 as recommended would be very helpful
to Nigeria’s efforts to protect media freedom, improve transparency and
accountability and generally ensure full respect for the human rights of journalists,
bloggers, and activists across Nigeria. It would also facilitate equivalent
visa bans in other globally desirable locations as well.
“SERAP hopes that you will
exercise your constitutional powers to promote human rights, media freedom,
transparency and accountability in Nigeria.
“SERAP also notes that
Presidential Proclamations 7750 and 8697 underscore the important role of the
media in the establishment of legitimate and transparent public institutions to
world stability, peace, and development.
“The proclamations note the US
‘enduring commitment to respect for human rights and humanitarian law’, which
requires that its Government be able to ensure that the US does not become a
safe haven for suspected violators of human rights and other abuses. They also
aim to help the US authorities to secure peace, promote the rule of law, combat
crime and corruption, and strengthen democracies around the globe.
“Significantly, the Presidential
Proclamations underscore that it is in the interests of the United States to
take action to restrict the international travel and to suspend the entry into
the United States, as immigrants or non-immigrants, of certain persons who are
suspected to be involved in serious violations of human rights, humanitarian
law, and other abuses.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com