Amnesty International has condemned the arrest, detention and four-year prison sentence handed to 23-year-old journalist Farida Isiak in Kaduna State, describing the case as vindictive and an attempt to silence press freedom.
The organisation said the journalist’s arrest and subsequent sentencing were linked to her attempt to expose alleged police misconduct involving her parents.
Isiak, a reporter with Nagarta Radio in Kaduna, was reportedly arrested at about 10pm on Monday, October 20, by police officers under the command of the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos, Usman Adamu.
According to Amnesty International, the incident began with a disagreement between Isiak’s mother and a neighbour over a ₦100 change during a charcoal sale.
The organisation alleged that police officers initially arrested her mother and later detained her father when he went to seek her release, using their detention to compel the journalist to report to the police station.
When Isiak arrived, officers allegedly accused her of defamation over a Facebook post criticising their treatment of her parents.
Amnesty International said she deleted the post and apologised in an attempt to secure her parents’ release, but the police allegedly continued to detain her before taking her to a Sharia Court in Kawo.
The court subsequently sentenced her to four years in prison or a fine of ₦1.75 million on a defamation charge.
Describing the proceedings as a sham trial, Amnesty International said the court failed to address the alleged police misconduct that triggered the incident.
“The arrest, detention, and hasty sentencing of Farida Isiak are a flagrant abuse of power by the police and weaponisation of the judicial system to silence free speech and intimidate journalists,” the organisation said.
It added that detaining the journalist’s parents to compel her to surrender to the police was an unlawful tactic that violated the rule of law.
“Demanding accountability for police actions is a constitutional right,” Amnesty International said.
The human rights organisation called on the Kaduna State Police Command and Nigerian judicial authorities to secure Isiak’s immediate release, drop the charges against her and cancel the fine imposed by the court.
It also urged the Nigeria Police Force to launch a full and independent investigation into the conduct of the officers involved in the alleged unlawful detention of the journalist’s family.
Amnesty International further called on Nigerian authorities to stop using defamation charges and the judicial system to harass journalists and restrict press freedom.
The organisation warned that the case raises concerns about the protection of freedom of expression and the ability of journalists to hold public institutions accountable without fear of intimidation or retaliation.
Amnesty condemns four-year jail sentence for Kaduna journalist Farida Isiak