Amnesty International, global human rights organisation, has demanded the immediate release of all #EndBadGovernance protesters currently detained by the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government.

This was stated in a press release issued by the organisation on Friday while responding to the resumption of the treason trial brought against the protesters by the Tinubu government.

The Amnesty International had earlier blasted President Bola Tinubu’s government for the continued detention of the protesters since August.

The organisation had knocked the administration for detaining minors who had not only become malnourished but collapsed in a Federal High Court in Abuja during their arraignment on Friday.

The minors were arrested because they participated in the protests.

In its recent statement, the organisation said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must immediately and unconditionally order the immediate and unconditional release of all the #EndBadGoverananceInNigeria protesters still unlawfully detained nationwide solely for exercising the right to peaceful protest.

“Detaining the protesters since August and slamming them with bizarre charges that include ‘treasonable felony’ and ‘terrorism related offences’ show Nigerian government’s utter disregard for the right to freedom of assembly.”

“The 114 protesters arraigned today at the Federal High Court Abuja have not done anything unlawful and did not deserve the horrifying treatment they have been receiving from the day of their arrest to date. Out of the 76 protesters arraigned in the first batch of the trial today, majority are minors and the collapse of four them in the courtroom is enough evidence of the poor state of their mental and physical health.

“Putting minors through a horrifying detention for demanding good governance shows the government’s clear determination to crush dissent.

“In Katsina, 12 children under 16-years are also facing an unfair trial. Many of the children ended up in detention for just being on the streets during the protests. Children with their whole lives ahead of them are now at the risk of being tried on trumped up charges. This is unacceptable. In the aftermath of the protests in August, over 1000 people were detained nationwide. Some people were killed in Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Niger state and Maiduguri because of violent crackdown on peaceful protests by security personnel.”

“Putting minors through unlawful detention and sham trials is a new dimension of Nigerian government’s persistent attacks on human rights. With millions of people on the brink of starvation, widespread malnutrition and deep poverty, President Bola Tinubu’s government should urgently be addressing widespread hunger and the rapidly falling standard of living, instead of prioritising punishing protesters.”