Amnesty International has
called for investigation
About 1000 suspected Boko
Haram militants died in
detention in the first half of
2013 alone, London-based
rights organization,
Amnesty International, said
Tuesday.
Some of the dead were
beaten and shot without
getting medical attention
while others die due to
harsh detention conditions
such as over-crowded jails
and starvation.
“The evidence we’ve
gathered suggests that
hundreds of people died in
military custody in 2013
alone. This is a staggeringly
high figure that requires
urgent action by the
Nigerian government,” Lucy
Freeman, Amnesty
International’s deputy Africa
director, said in a
statement.
“The details of what
happens behind locked
doors in these shadowy
detention facilities must be
exposed, and those
responsible for any human
rights violations brought to
book.”
The Nigerian army said it
has not seen the report and
will respond when it is
made available to them.
A large proportion of these
deaths are reported to have
happened in Giwa military
barracks, Maiduguri in
Borno State, and Sector
Alpha, commonly referred to
as ‘Guantanamo’ and
Presidential Lodge (known
as ‘Guardroom’) in
Damaturu, Yobe State.”
Detainees in these
detention centres told
Amnesty International that
people die daily in “both
Giwa and Sector Alpha from
suffocation or other injuries
due to overcrowding, and
starvation. Some suffered
serious injuries due to
severe beating and
eventually died in detention
due to lack of medical
attention and treatment.”
Some of the atrocities
perpetuated in these camps
are summary execution and
detainees being shot in the
legs during interrogations.
“Hundreds have been killed
in detention either by
shooting them or by
suffocation…There are times
when people are brought
out on a daily basis and
killed. About five people, on
average, are killed nearly on
a daily basis,” a senior
army officer told h asked
not to be named told
Amnesty International.
“International standards, as
well as Nigerian laws,
require that deaths in
custody must be
investigated thoroughly and
impartially,” said Ms
Freeman. “Detainees have
human rights and these
must be respected in all
instances.”
Hundreds of suspected
Boko Haram militants are
held in mostly secret
detention centres across
the country without charge
and no access to lawyers
and family members.
0 comments:
Post a Comment