Police Attack Pro-Zakzaky Rally in Nigeria
They used teargas and water cannon to disperse the peaceful protesters who were demanding an end to the illegal detention of the senior cleric.
Hundreds of Shia Muslims, most of them women, took part in the demonstration, al-Sharaq al-Awsat reported.
A few months ago, Amnesty International called on the Nigerian government to abide by a court ruling that called for an end to the "unlawful” detention of Sheikh Zakzaky.
The UK-based rights group said the government in Nigeria could extend Zakzaky’s detention on trumped-up charges in a bid to justify the crackdown on IMN members.
On December 12, 2015, Nigerian soldiers attacked Shia Muslims attending a ceremony at a religious center in the city of Zaria in the state of Kaduna, accusing them of blocking the convoy of the army’s chief of staff and attempting to assassinate him. The Muslims categorically denied the charge.
The following day, Nigerian forces also raided Zakzaky’s home and arrested the clergyman and his wife after reportedly killing those attempting to protect them.
Nearly 350 members of the Shia movement were killed in the clashes. The sheikh was brutally injured and his house was reportedly destroyed by the army in the incident.
After detaining Zakzaky, the Nigerian government stepped up its crackdown on the IMN.
In November last year, nearly 100 IMN supporters were killed when Nigerian forces fired live rounds and teargas at mourners during a peaceful march ahead of the Arba’een mourning rituals, which mark 40 days after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), the third Shia imam. Authorities also destroyed a number of buildings belonging to the IMN.
