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Related: About this forumNigerian soldiers shoot dozens of peaceful Shia protesters
Source: The Guardian
Nigerian soldiers shoot dozens of peaceful Shia protesters
At least 45 Islamic Movement of Nigeria members killed in Abuja and Nasarawa state
Ruth Maclean, West Africa correspondent, and agencies
Thu 1 Nov 2018 16.11 GMT
Dozens of Shia Muslims were shot by Nigerias security forces in two days while peacefully protesting against the imprisonment of their leader, evidence collected by Amnesty International shows.
At least 45 members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) were killed in thecapital, Abuja, and the neighbouring state of Nasarawa on Saturday and Monday, the human rights group said. Four hundred people were reportedly arrested on Tuesday.
Soldiers used automatic weapons on the protesters in a horrific use of excessive force by soldiers and police, according to Amnesty. On Saturday, at least six people were killed. On Monday, the death toll was at least 39, with another 122 sustaining gunshot wounds.
The protesters were demanding the release of Ibrahim Zakzaky. He has been in prison since 2015, when the Nigerian army killed hundreds of his supporters near his home in Zaria. In April, he was charged with murder.
Most of Nigerias Muslims are Sunnis but Zakzaky has grown a large following, apparently inspired by the 1979 Iranian revolution. Some analysts worry that repeated crackdowns by the authorities might lead to a similar situation to that in the north-east, where the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions during a nine-year crisis.
-snip-
At least 45 Islamic Movement of Nigeria members killed in Abuja and Nasarawa state
Ruth Maclean, West Africa correspondent, and agencies
Thu 1 Nov 2018 16.11 GMT
Dozens of Shia Muslims were shot by Nigerias security forces in two days while peacefully protesting against the imprisonment of their leader, evidence collected by Amnesty International shows.
At least 45 members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) were killed in thecapital, Abuja, and the neighbouring state of Nasarawa on Saturday and Monday, the human rights group said. Four hundred people were reportedly arrested on Tuesday.
Soldiers used automatic weapons on the protesters in a horrific use of excessive force by soldiers and police, according to Amnesty. On Saturday, at least six people were killed. On Monday, the death toll was at least 39, with another 122 sustaining gunshot wounds.
The protesters were demanding the release of Ibrahim Zakzaky. He has been in prison since 2015, when the Nigerian army killed hundreds of his supporters near his home in Zaria. In April, he was charged with murder.
Most of Nigerias Muslims are Sunnis but Zakzaky has grown a large following, apparently inspired by the 1979 Iranian revolution. Some analysts worry that repeated crackdowns by the authorities might lead to a similar situation to that in the north-east, where the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions during a nine-year crisis.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/01/nigerian-soldiers-shoot-dozens-of-peaceful-shia-protesters
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Nigerian soldiers shoot dozens of peaceful Shia protesters (Original Post)
Eugene
Nov 2018
OP
muriel_volestrangler
(101,311 posts)1. Nigeria's army cites Trump to justify shooting Shia protesters
The Nigerian army has cited a video of US President Donald Trump, in which he says soldiers should respond with force to migrants throwing stones, to justify opening fire on a Shia group this week.
...
Amnesty International has criticised Nigeria's army for the killings, saying the Shia protesters were peaceful.
But a spokesman for the Nigerian army says their decision to fire live rounds at protesters in Abuja was justified because they were armed, telling the BBC "this is what [Mr] Trump was talking about".
...
The army did not mention the fact that the US embassy in Abuja has urged Nigerian authorities to "take appropriate action to hold accountable those responsible for violations of Nigerian law".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-46074719
...
Amnesty International has criticised Nigeria's army for the killings, saying the Shia protesters were peaceful.
But a spokesman for the Nigerian army says their decision to fire live rounds at protesters in Abuja was justified because they were armed, telling the BBC "this is what [Mr] Trump was talking about".
...
The army did not mention the fact that the US embassy in Abuja has urged Nigerian authorities to "take appropriate action to hold accountable those responsible for violations of Nigerian law".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-46074719
Link to tweet
I really don't know if the embassy has gone full Trump and was saying that the "appropriate action" was to kill the protesters, or if they're behaving like normal human beings and saying the army needs to be held accountable.