Politics
THE European Union, EU, has reacted to the arrest of Omoyele Sowore, convener of RevolutionNow protest, affirming its belief in the principle of freedom of speech.
In a statement on Thursday, August 8, Ketil Karlsen, EU ambassador to Nigeria, “The European Union stands firm on the principles of freedom of speech and our fundamental values. Of course, it is important in any democratic society for people to be able to participate.
“I am not aware of any petition following the latest events in Nigeria but what I can say is that as long as people seek peaceful means to demonstrate and voice their political opinion, this is what we see as a natural part of a thriving democracy.
“Any democracy or any society in the world must jealously guard and make sure that such pronouncements are always non-violent and that they respect the fundamental rules of the game and democracy at the end of the day and it is for the Nigerian justice system, in the end, to follow up on specific cases and as long as these cases are being dealt with in the Nigerian justice system, it is not for the EU or the EU ambassador to judge what is right or wrong in these occasions.
“But of course, we always follow very carefully when there are dissenting voices in the countries where we operate and we listen very carefully to all of them.”
A Federal High Court in Abuja, Thursday, granted the Department of State Services, DSS, an approval to keep Sowore in detention for 45 days pending the outcome of its discrete investigations.
– Aug. 9, 2019 @ 12:04 GMT |
Tags: Sowore's Arrest: EU affirms belief in Freedom of Speech
