Nigeria: 54 Soldiers On Death Row - UN to Intervene to Avert Execution

5 January 2015

LAGOS -- The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Arbitrary or Summary Executions, Mr. Christof Heyns, has said that "appropriate actions, including communication to the government of President Goodluck Jonathan is being considered regarding the imminent execution of 54 soldiers in Nigeria."

This followed a petition to Heyns by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, in December 2014 in which the group asked five UN human rights independent experts to individually and jointly use their "good offices and positions to urgently request the Nigerian government and its military authorities not to carry out the mass death sentences imposed on 54 Nigerian soldiers for what the government claimed was disobeying a direct order from their commanding officer."

...

AllAfrica publishes around 400 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.