Amnesty Int’l demands release of journalist jailed over comments on police

Amnesty International has demanded the immediate release of 23-year-old journalist Farida Isiak, who was sentenced to four years in prison or a fine of N1.75 million over a Facebook post criticising the police in Kaduna State.

The human rights organisation said her arrest and punishment “were clearly because of her attempt to expose abuses by the police.”

“Sentencing a journalist to 4-years in prison after a sham trial is a travesty of justice,” it said.

Isiak, a reporter with Nagarta Radio in Kaduna, was reportedly taken into custody around 10pm on October 20 by officers under the command of the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos, Usman Adamu.

According to the global rights group, the case began as a minor disagreement between her mother and a neighbour over N100 change during a sale of charcoal.

Police first arrested her mother, then detained her father when he went to secure her release, “using their detention as leverage to force Farida to come to the police station.”

At the station, officers accused her of defaming them over a Facebook post in which she criticised their unlawful treatment of her parents. Following pressure by the police, she deleted the post and apologised, hoping it would secure her parents’ release. The officers instead kept her in custody and took her to a Sharia Court in Kawo.

The presiding judge sentenced her to four years in prison or a fine of N1.75 million for defamation, “completely ignoring the initial police misconduct and the abusive actions that led to the incident.”

Amnesty International said: “The arrest, detention, and hasty sentencing of Farida Isiak are a flagrant abuse of power by the police and weaponization of the judicial system to silence free speech and intimidate journalists.”

It added that “arresting and holding a citizen’s parents to force a journalist to hand herself over is an unlawful tactic that violates rule of law. Demanding accountability for police actions is a constitutional right”.

It called on the Kaduna State Police Command and Nigerian judicial authorities to “immediately release Farida Isiak, drop all charges, and cancel the fine imposed on her.”

The organisation also urged the Nigeria Police Force to launch a full and independent investigation into the conduct of the officers involved in the unlawful detention of her family.

“Nigerian authorities must stop using defamation charges and the legal system to harass journalists and restrict press freedom,” it said.