The International
Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed the receipt of a petition against the
activities of Amnesty International in Nigeria.
The acknowledgement
letter with reference number OTP-CR+265/16 was dated September 9, 2016 and was
signed by Mr. Mark Dillon, head of Information and Evidence in the Office of
the Prosecutor, ICC.
Dillon said in the
letter that the court is in custody of a complaint by a civil society
organization from Nigeria, the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and
Transparency (CESJET) requesting the Prosecutor to open a criminal
investigation into the activities of the international human rights
organization.
The ICC said in their
response to the petition, "Office of the ICC acknowledges the receipt of
your Document/letter.
"Yhis
communication has been duly entered in the communication register of the
office.
"We will give
consideration as appropriate in accordance with the provision of the Rome
Stature of ICC".
CESJET had dragged
Amnesty International before the International Criminal Court over its report
which accused Nigeria of human rights violation.
In a petition submited
to the office of The Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Madame
Fatou Bensouda, CESJET, through its counsel, Mr. Wolfgang Bendler, a
German and Edward Omaga, a Nigerian lawyer said AI in promoting and protecting
human rights has been derailed into an incendiary and partisan goal.
Parts of the petition
read, "Against the background of its 2015/2016 Annual Report in which it
raises questions on the appalling human rights situation across the globe and
scores Nigeria low as an abuser of human rights, it is pertinent to state that
the ombudsman mission of Amnesty International in promoting and protecting human
rights has been derailed into an incendiary and partisan goal.
For now, lopsided views, shortsighted and hasty conclusions,
some not backed by facts are Amnesty International’s hallmark instead of bold
objectivity in the pursuit of its vision.
"No doubt, international law and human norms demand that
Nigeria as a state and Nigerians as a people eschew every form of man’s
inhumanity to man. Hence perennial cases of police brutality, high-handedness
by security officials, a criminal justice system which has failed, with many
innocent citizens wasting away in illegal detentions, and state-backed
maltreatment of citizens, call for holistic reforms of the structures and
institutions of democracy. "Indeed, there may be real or perceived cases
of arbitrary brutalization of persons by security officials but these cases
must not be exaggerated to denigrate the sovereignty and humanity of a
nation".
CESJET said records would show that the murderous terrorist
group called Boko Haram had killed more than 20,000 Nigerians in cold blood
since 2012.
The group also said the Niger Delta Avengers have continued to
breach the peace while destroying the infrastructure of Nigeria.
CESJET said, "They do this on the strength of Amnesty
International’s affirmation that terrorist groups are untouchable by Nigerian
government.
"As at today, the Complaint dated 1st September, 2016 has
successfully dispatched to the International Criminal Court and acknowledged at
the Office of the Prosecutor. "The crux of the Complaint is to expose and bring
Amnesty International to book for the heinous crimes it has been propagating in
Nigeria leading to wit; wanton abuse of human rights by terrorists. "It is
obvious that Amnesty International now has a huge credibility problem judging
from its inability to find a balance between the civil liberties of people and
the national security needs of sovereign independent nations as evidenced in
its retreat from its guiding principle that “Amnesty International neither
supports nor condemns a government policy of using military force in fighting
against armed opposition movements, when an opposition group tortures or kills
its captives, takes hostages, or commits deliberate atrocities.
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