Yahoo – AFP,
6 May 2014
 |
| Nigerian women and mothers of the kidnapped girls of Chibok stage a sit-in after a march calling for their freedom in Abuja on April 30, 2014 (AFP Photo/Philip Ojisua) |
Geneva
(AFP) - The UN human rights office warned Tuesday the threatened sale into
slavery of hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram Islamists may
constitute a crime against humanity.
"We
are deeply concerned about the outrageous claims made in a video believed to be
by the leader of Boko Haram in Nigeria yesterday, in which he brazenly says he
will sell the abducted schoolgirls 'in the market' and 'marry them off',
referring to them as 'slaves,'" said Rupert Colville, spokesman for UN
rights chief Navi Pillay.
A total 276
students were kidnapped three weeks ago from their boarding school in Chibok,
northern Nigeria. Several managed to escape but over 220 girls were still being
held, according to police.
In a video
obtained by AFP Monday, Boko Haram claimed the April 14 abduction and issued
its threat, sparking international anger.
"We
condemn the violent abduction of these girls," Colville told reporters.
"We
warn the perpetrators that there is an absolute prohibition against slavery and
sexual slavery in international law. These can, under certain circumstances,
constitute crimes against humanity. The girls must be immediately returned,
unharmed, to their families," he said.
Anger and
frustration have escalated in Nigeria at the government's failure to find the
girls.
Pillay has
written to Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan urging his government to spare
no effort to bring the girls home safely and to protect children's rights
overall.
During a
visit to Nigeria earlier this year, Pillay described the actions of Boko Haram
as "increasingly monstrous."
Related Articles:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.