Amnesty International [AI] has urged the Nigerian authorities to reverse their decision to revoke the accreditations of 25 journalists who were covering activities at the Presidential Villa.
According to the International Human Rights Organization, this move represented a severe blow to media freedom in the country and threatened the exercise of the fundamental right to freedom of expression.
On August 18, 2023, Nigerian authorities abruptly withdrew the accreditation tags of 25 journalists and media houses, effectively barring them from covering events at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The grounds cited for this action were vague, consisting of “security concerns and overcrowding of the press gallery area.”
Amnesty International has identified some of the affected journalists as those from Vanguard newspaper, Galaxy TV, Ben TV, MITV, ITV Abuja, PromptNews, ONTV, and Liberty.
The impact of this withdrawal extends mainly to reporters and cameramen representing various broadcast, print, and online media outlets.
Amnesty International has disclosed that the journalists affected by this decision were simply instructed to surrender their accreditation tags at the main entrance of the presidential villa.
In response, the organization emphasized the critical role of media freedom, diversity, and journalist protection in enabling the effective exercise of freedom of expression.
“The media plays a pivotal role in conveying information and ideas concerning matters of public interest, ensuring that the public possesses the right and means to access such information,” Amnesty International stated.
Furthermore, the organization pointed out that Nigeria is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, both of which guarantee the right to freedom of expression and impose legal obligations on states to safeguard freedom of expression and information.
Amnesty International also highlighted that the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) safeguards the right to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom.
Consequently, the organization urged the Nigerian authorities to encourage and promote the enjoyment of human rights, including freedom of expression and media freedom, rather than imposing restrictions.
The organization firmly asserted that the arbitrary revocation of journalists’ accreditations is incompatible with Nigeria’s international and constitutional human rights commitments, particularly concerning media freedom.
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