Amnesty International has condemned the arrest and sentencing of 23-year-old journalist Farida Isiak to four years in prison by a Sharia Court in Kawo, Kaduna State, describing the action as vindictive and an attempt to silence press freedom.
Isiak, a reporter with Nagarta Radio in Kaduna, was reportedly arrested on Monday night, October 20, after publishing a Facebook post criticising police officers over their alleged unlawful treatment of her parents.
In a statement, Amnesty International Nigeria said the journalist was arrested around 10 p.m. by police officers under the command of the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos, Usman Adamu.
According to the organisation, the incident began with a disagreement between Isiak’s mother and a neighbour over N100 change from a charcoal sale.
Amnesty alleged that police officers initially arrested her mother and later detained her father when he went to secure her release, using their detention to compel Isiak to report to the police station.
The organisation said that upon arriving at the station, Isiak was accused of defaming the police through her Facebook post.
It added that although she complied with the officers’ demands to delete the post and apologise in the hope of securing her parents’ release, she was detained and subsequently taken to a Sharia Court in Kawo.
The court reportedly sentenced her to four years’ imprisonment or a fine of N1.75 million on charges of defamation.
Amnesty International described the proceedings as a sham trial, alleging that the court ignored the circumstances surrounding the incident and the alleged misconduct by the police.
It said the arrest and sentencing amounted to an abuse of power and the use of the judicial system to suppress free expression and intimidate journalists.
“Demanding accountability for police actions is a constitutional right,” the organisation said, arguing that detaining a journalist’s parents to compel her to surrender was an unlawful tactic that undermined the rule of law.
Amnesty International called on the Kaduna State Police Command and Nigerian judicial authorities to secure Isiak’s immediate release, drop the charges against her and cancel the fine imposed by the court.
It also urged the Nigeria Police Force to conduct a full and independent investigation into the conduct of the officers involved in the alleged unlawful detention of Isiak’s parents.
The organisation further called on Nigerian authorities to stop using defamation charges and the legal system to harass journalists and restrict press freedom.
The Nigeria Police Force is yet to comment on the judgment.
