Press Statement
International civil rights groups in collaboration with their Nigerian
counterparts have this weekend adopted detained Publisher of Sahara
Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, as a Prisoner of Conscience.
In a statement on Saturday, Human and Environmental Development Agenda
(HEDA Resource Centre) in collaboration with United Kingdom based
groups, Global witness, Cornerhouse and Re:Common of Italy and their
counterparts in Nigeria adopted Sowore as Prisoner of Conscience, a term
adopted in 1961 to qualify people detained for their political beliefs.
Scores of Prisoners of Conscience have been adopted across Africa and
have always formed the rallying point for intensive international
campaigns against their home governments. Corner House is a past
recipient of the prestigious liberty, justice and law society human
rights award.
Local partners of the initiative are Human and Environmental Development
Agenda (HEDA), Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC),
Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Journalists for
Democratic Rigths (JODER), Enough is Enough (EiE), Women Advocates
Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) and several others.
The statement signed by Olanrewaju Suraju, Simon Taylor, Nicholas
Hildyard and Antonio Tricarico stated “We have followed with keen
interest the arrest and prosecution of Mr Omoyele Sowore, the Publisher
of Sahara Reporters. He was detained for 45 days on obvious charges for
which the State has yet to provide credible evidential basis.
At the expiration of the 45 days, his lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN) went
to court seeking his bail. The Court of Justice gave the order releasing
him on bail. It’s now three days after the bail was granted, the
Nigerian Federal authorities have refused to release him.”
The statement said the prosecution of the activist has now turned into
persecution.
The groups said from all indications, Mr Sowore is being held “for his
strong political views which appear to be against the interests of those
in power”
The group said it has now adopted Sowore as a Prisoner of Conscience.
The right groups stated “With this adoption, the floodgates of
international campaign has been opened for a vigorous lobby for the
immediate release of Mr Sowore. It will involve engagement of regional
and international organisations and working within the United Nations
(UN) and the European Union (EU) system.”
Sahara Reporters with over 25 million subscribers remains one of the
most powerful tools of social change in Nigeria and the Nigerian
government should have seen such a medium as a partner instead of
isolating the publisher for deliberate assaults.
The groups said “Sowore is now an imprisoned person with a global
status. His medium, Sahara Reporters has been consistent in exposing the
ills of the Nigerian and indeed African societies.
He has devoted his platform for the cause of the public good,
confronting corrupt and tyrannical leaders, fighting them in ways
deadlier than weapons of war. He has over the years broken borders and
swept a new wave of renaissance across Africa and in particular,
Nigeria, his fatherland. His case is that of outright persecution with
the government insisting on a ring of capital offence around his neck.”
The groups said framing charges of treasonable felony against a single
person who is a journalist, without any collaborators, suggests that
some powerful politicians would wish to see Sowore perpetually locked
up.
It noted that reasonable felony is not a capital offence under section
41 of the Criminal Code.
The groups said with the adoption, a global platform will be opened for
people of conscience all over the world to join the campaign for his
release.
The groups regretted that Nigerian government is creating what it called
“awful impression” about human rights and democracy in Nigeria, adding
that the growing trend of right violations will affect economic
prosperity and equal opportunities since no investor wants to put money
in a siege and unstable environment.
