Nigerian Cleric’s Health Deteriorating: SRW
The rights body, headquartered in the US capital of Washington, DC, voiced concerns over the situation of the top cleric.
Shia Rights Watch is an organization that works to defend justice and rights for Shia Muslims around the world.
It said Sheikh Zakzaky’s health is in a critical condition due to the negligence of the government, Iraqi Noon news website reported.
The international human rights organization warned that if the situation is not altered, it could lead to Sheikh Zakzaky’s death.
Stressing that Nigeria’s government is responsible for the life and safety of the cleric, it called for the immediate release of Sheikh Zakzaky and other Shias arbitrarily taken into custody.
On December 13, 2015, Nigerian forces raided the home of Sheikh Zakzaky, who leads the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), and arrested him after killing those attempting to protect him.
A day earlier, soldiers had attacked Shia Muslims attending a ceremony at a religious center in the city of Zaria in north-central Nigeria, accusing them of blocking the convoy of the army’s chief of staff and attempting to assassinate him, which they denied.
Both incidents led to the deaths of hundreds of members of the religious community, including three of Zakzaky’s sons. Some sources have put the toll at over 1,000.
http://iqna.ir/fa/news/3522050
