At least 10 protesters in Nigeria faced a possible death penalty on Monday after being charged with treason over their participation in recent demonstrations against the country’s worst-in-a-generation economic crisis.
The protesters were arraigned in the capital, Abuja, and accused of acting “with intent to destabilize Nigeria … and intimidate the president” during the protests. They pleaded not guilty and will remain in prison until a Sept. 11 bail hearing.
At least 22 protesters were shot dead by security forces during the demonstrations, Amnesty International has said. Little is known about the fate of hundreds of other protesters arrested.
The protesters were charged under Nigeria’s Penal Code, which critics have described as one of the country’s harshest laws and one used by authorities to clamp down on dissent. The treason charge carries the death penalty.
The trial was widely condemned in Nigeria.
Read more here.
