[Other] London Vigil Marks 1000 Days Since Zaria Massacre, 1000 Days No Justice #FreeZakzaky
inminds 11 September 2018 Vigil marks 1000 days since Zaria Massacre of 1000 civilians by Nigerian Army and illegal detention of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife Muallima Zeenah
Vigil marks 1000 days since Zaria Massacre of 1000 civilians by Nigerian Army and illegal detention of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife Muallima Zeenah
On Saturday 8th September 2018, as part of the Universal Justice Network, Inminds human rights group and the Islamic Human Rights Commission marked 1000 days since the Zaria massacre in Nigeria by the Nigerian army, and the unlawful detention of Sheikh Ibraheen al-Zakzaky and his wife Muallima Zeenah, with a vigil outside the Nigerian High Commission in London to demanding justice for the martyrs of the Zaria massacre and freedom for Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife. As part of the vigil, images and messages were projected on to the walls of the Nigerian High Commission.
In the 48 hours between 12-14th December 2015 the Nigerian army under the command of Lieutenant General-Tukur Buratai massacred over 1000 residents of Zaria in northern Nigeria. They were targeting Sheikh Ibraheen al-Zakzaky and his supporters. Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife Zeenah were both shot and abducted without charge, their three sons were murdered in the attack and their home was destroyed, as was the graves of the Sheikh's parents. The army burnt the community's mosque to the ground and demolished their cemetery. The majority of deaths were caused by gunshots fired by soldiers. Some were reportedly burnt alive or hacked to death with machetes and knives. Reports have also emerged of sexual violence by soldiers including cases of rape against women and children. A 14 years old girl told IHRC investigators that the military shot her in her private parts when she resisted attempts by soldiers to rape her. Others have had their breasts cut off. The soldiers mutilated the dead before hiding the bodies in mass graves.
In April 2016, Kaduna state government officials admitted that 347 bodies from the massacre were dumped in a mass grave near Mando. The Nigerian federal high court on 2nd December 2016 ordered the release of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife Zeenah on the basis that their detention is illegal and unconstitutional. Despite this the security services have refused to release them, they are held at a secret black site and are thought to have been tortured.
Sheikh Ibraheem al-Zakzaky is the leader of the Islamic movement in Nigeria. His movement has been highly critical of political corruption in Nigeria, and the close Nigerian-Israeli governmental security partnership and intelligence sharing, and of Saudi funded sectarianism and Boko Haram and the relationship it has with facets of the Nigerian army.
Sheikh al Zakzaky's movement promotes social justice and educational programmes across Nigeria, meeting the needs of the poor and disenfranchised that the government has failed to address. It strongly abhors sectarianism, believing in unity against oppression. This is in stark contrast to Saudi promotion of divisive sectarianism in Nigeria, pitting Sunnis against Shias and Muslims against Christians. The Islamic Movement has mass support across Nigeria, across all sectarian lines, and is renowned as a peaceful group that has never been implicated in any violence. It is strongly opposed to the terrorism of Boko Haram and has in fact been its victim on several occasions. Because of its principled position, Al-Zakzaky and his movement has been targeted by the corrupt Nigerian military at the behest of its foreign backers Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Inminds chair Abbas Ali said "The Nigerian government had admitted its army massacred civilians and dumped them in mass graves, and the high court has ordered the release of Sheikh Zakzaky but one thousand days later - nothing. No justice for the thousand innocents slaughtered at Zaria. No justice for the tens of thousands that survived the massacre but were injured and mutilated, and in desperate need of medical procedures. And no justice for Sheikh Ibraheen al-Zakzaky, still held illegally after a thousand days. We hold President Buhari directly responsible for the slaughter and crimes against humanity perpetrated by his military chief Lieutenant General-Tukur Buratai, the butcher of Zaria. Both should be arrested and stand charges at the International Criminal Court for the Zaria massacres of 2014 and 2015, and until that happens sanctions should be put on Nigeria. Also it must not be forgotten that these crimes were carried out at the behest of foreign powers, we condemn Saudi Arabia and Israel for instigating these attacks on Sheikh Zakzaky's movement."
Vigil marks 1000 days since Zaria Massacre of 1000 civilians by Nigerian Army and illegal detention of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife Muallima Zeenah
Free Sheikh Zakzaky - 1000 Days Anniversary Of Zaria Massacre
Campaign Resources
Freedom - Sheikh Zakzaky - 1000 Days illegal detention #FreeZakzaky (for social media)
Freedom - Sheikh Zakzaky - 1000 Days illegal detention #FreeZakzaky (for printing)
Source: www.inminds.com
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