HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ON MEETINGS WITH POLICE AND MILITARY

UNCLAS ABUJA 001234 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV ASEC PREL NI HUMANRIGHTS SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ON MEETINGS WITH POLICE AND MILITARY REF: ABUJA 1159 ¶1. (U) Summary: Human Rights Watch (HRW) briefed the Ambassador about meetings with top police and army officials, who gave HRW significant meeting time, but stonewalled on all issues of excessive violence by police and military. End summary. ¶2. (U) On the afternoon of July 12, the Ambassador met with Carina Tertsakian, HRW's London-based Nigeria Researcher, and Sonya Maldar, a HRW advisor working with a Lagos human rights NGO. At a June 29 meeting with the Ambassador (reftel) at the beginning of HRW's Nigeria trip, he had invited HRW back to discuss its findings at the conclusion of the trip. ¶3. (SBU) HRW discussed a 60-75 minute meeting with Tafa Balogun, the Inspector-General of Police, who refused to engage HRW on the use of excess force by police, particularly with regard to the "armed robbers" police regularly kill. When HRW pointed out that the number of armed robbers killed is unusually close to the number of weapons that have been "turned in by citizens", Balogun denied any connection. HRW also brought up police shootings in crowd-control situations, which Balogun denied, then said he would investigate. HRW said that Balogun was more interested in discussing police efforts against corruption, and didn't recognize any problems with police violence. ¶4. (SBU) HRW also told the Ambassador about a 90-minute meeting (originally scheduled for 30 minutes) with General Alexander Ogomudia, Chief of Defense Staff. When HRW brought up the massacres at Odi in 1999 and at Zaki Biam in 2001, Ogomudia completely denied any involvement by the army--"This is the first time I'm hearing of this"--but nonetheless went on to discuss details of the events. Ogomudia said that previous investigations had not blamed the army, and told HRW that he would not consider any new investigations. ¶5. (SBU) HRW told the Ambassador that they had contacted the Information Minister regarding the Zaki Biam "white paper" that President Obasanjo had promised HRW when he met them on June 28. The Information Minister told HRW that the white paper is not available to the public because of a ruling by Nigeria's Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (the "Oputa Panel") that the GON cannot set up commissions of inquiry like the one that generated the white paper. Added the Minister, according to HRW, "even the President cannot release this report." CAMPBELL