Sir, - The Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Nigeria says "there is no persecution of any nature" in Nigeria. Not true. In November 1996, to mark the anniversary of the execution of Ken SaroWiwa and eight Ogoni colleagues, Amnesty International called on the Nigerian Government to commit itself to a comprehensive and far reaching programme of human rights reform. None of our recommendations has been implemented and measures which the government took following a mission sent by the UN Secretary General failed both to address the mission's most serious concerns and to stop human rights violations.
The government of General Sani Abacha has faced more national and international criticism than previous military governments in Nigeria, primarily because of frustration over the abortive "transition to civilian rule" of 1987 to 1993, the increased level of human rights violations and the barely disguised threat of force against the new human rights and prodemocracy community which has developed in Nigeria in the past 10 years.
The government has refused meaningful dialogue with opposition groups within Nigeria or the international community and has shown no sign of restoring the rule of law. A stale of impunity has resulted, in which senior military officials have openly displayed contempt for court orders which seek to restrain their abuse of human rights. There is not sufficient space for full details but Amnesty International remains concerned about the following areas in which human rights are still violated in Nigeria:
. the continued detention without charge or trial of prisoners of conscience and their imprisonment after grossly unfair political trials;
. the torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners;
. the continued use of the death penalty, especially after trials by special courts;
. further allegations of extra judicial executions.
Nineteen Ogoni prisoners remain in incommunicado detention, awaiting trial on identical murder charges to those brought against Ken SaroWiwa and his eight Ogoni colleagues who were executed in November 1995 after grossly unfair and politically motivated trials. They are in poor health from harsh conditions, malnutrition and medical neglect, one of them, Babina Vizor, having reportedly lost his sight. Most have been detained since mid 1994 and the government has shown no sign of bringing them to trial.
The Rivers Slate Internal Security Task Force, a joint military and mobile police force which has controlled access to and movement within Ogoniland since 1994, is reported to have been responsible in recent months for continuing human rights violations, including a number of unexplained deaths in custody of members of the Ogoni community and supporters of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). No one has been brought to justice for these or any other deaths reportedly committed by government forces or at government instigation in Rivers Slate since 1990.
The government's continuing harsh repression has therefore led many to seek asylum outside of Nigeria. Yours, etc..
Campaigns co-ordinator,
Amnesty International Irish
Section.