Amnesty International has condemned the arrest and four-year prison sentence handed to 23-year-old Farida Isiak, a journalist with Nagarta Radio in Kaduna State, describing the proceedings as a violation of press freedom and a travesty of justice.
The human rights organisation in a statement on Wednesday, lamented that the journalist’s ordeal followed her criticism of police’s handling of a case involving her parents.
The rights group called on the Kaduna State Police Command and Nigerian judicial authorities to immediately release Isiak, drop the charges against her and cancel the ₦1.75 million fine imposed on her.
According to Amnesty International, Isiak was arrested at about 10 p.m. on Monday, October 20, by police officers under the command of the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos, Usman Adamu.
The incident reportedly began with a disagreement between Isiak’s mother and a neighbour over a ₦100 balance from a charcoal sale.
Amnesty International alleged that police officers initially arrested Isiak’s mother and subsequently detained her father when he visited the station to secure her release. The organisation said the parents’ detention was used to compel the journalist to report to the police station.
Upon her arrival, Isiak was allegedly accused of defaming the police in a Facebook post in which she criticised the officers’ treatment of her parents.
The organisation said the journalist complied with the police’s demands to delete the post and apologise in an attempt to secure her parents’ release.
However, she was allegedly kept in custody and subsequently taken before a Sharia court in Kawo, where she was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment or a fine of ₦1.75 million on defamation charges.
Amnesty International criticised the speed of the proceedings, alleging that the court failed to address the circumstances surrounding the initial arrest and detention of Isiak’s parents.
The organisation described the incident as an abuse of police power and an attempt to use the judicial system to silence criticism and intimidate journalists.
It further argued that detaining family members to compel a journalist to surrender herself was an unlawful tactic that undermined the rule of law and fundamental rights.
“Demanding accountability for police actions is a constitutional right,” the organisation maintained, stressing that journalists should not face punishment for scrutinising the conduct of law enforcement officers.
Amnesty International urged the Nigeria Police Force to launch a full and independent investigation into the conduct of the officers involved in the incident, particularly their alleged detention of Isiak’s parents.
It also called on Nigerian authorities to stop using defamation charges and legal proceedings to harass journalists and restrict freedom of expression.
The organisation warned that cases such as Isiak’s raise concerns about the protection of press freedom and the right of citizens to question the conduct of public officials without fear of intimidation or retaliation.
Amnesty International maintained that Isiak’s immediate release, the withdrawal of the charges and the cancellation of the fine were necessary to address what it described as a miscarriage of justice.
