Sowore’s Post: Withdraw Your Demand- Amnesty International Tells DSS, Asks X Corp Not To Succumb To Censorship Demands

The Amnesty International Nigeria has asked the Department of State Services to withdraw its demands conveyed to X Corp through a petition against Omoyele Sowore’s X post about President Bola Tinubu.

It also asked X Corp not to Succumb to censorship demands of Nigerian government, through targeting of the voices of activists, and must do all in its power to protect freedom of expression on its platform.

The Amnesty International Nigeria stated this while reacting to DSS petition to the X Corp over Omoyele Sowore’s post on his X handle over President Bola Tinubu.

The full text of the Amnesty International Nigeria response reads below:

The Department of State Services (DSS) must immediately withdraw its shocking demand to X ( formerly known as Twitter) for the removal of human rights defender Omoyele Sowore’s post critical of President Bola Tinubu.

The X platform had already notified Sowore about this brazen attempt to silence critical voices and generate a climate of fear on Nigeria’s social media space.

Nigerian authorities’ demand for the deactivation of Sowore’s X account goes too far, and is outrageous, while clearly showing a desperate attempt at censorship and abuse of power.

The DSS targeting of Sowore’s X account is being done without any legal justification, as recognized under international human rights law and that this represents a violation of Nigeria’s obligations under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Nigeria has ratified both human rights treaties.

Nigerian authorities must refrain from violating human rights online including the rights to freedom of expression and privacy and fulfil their constitutional and international human rights obligations.

On its part, X must not yield to censorship demands of Nigerian government, through targeting of the voices of activists, and must do all in its power to protect freedom of expression on its platform.