Nigerian Rights Abuses Deserve Attention in U.S. by Joey Genereux One of the greatest dishonors on the conscience of the industrialized world is the deaf ear and blind eye turned towards Fascist Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. In Ethiopia, in Spain, and in the Sudetenland, the democracies ignored the spread of military government. After World War II, the United States dropped isolationism to a new imperialism, demonstrated by American policy in Central America and Southeast Asia, where the United States backed whatever dictator would promise to hold back Communism. Recently, however, the U.S. government has shown a more humane interest in foreign policy. Examples include peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Somalia, and humanitarian aid to countries in need, most recently including Cuba, our long time "enemy." In the midst of this, however, the nation as a whole continues to ignore some of the most flagrant abuses of human rights that are currently occurring. The press doesn't report it; the government ignores it; the public doesn't care. Earlier this month, over five hundred corpses were found on Sherbro Island in Sierra Leone, but you did not hear about it from the Associated Press or Reuters. The United Press International never mentioned it. Only on nando.net was there even a short blurb. I commend groups such as Students for a Free Tibet for their continued attention to the crimes committed by the government of the People's Republic of China in that region. In this article, I want to call attention to an issue that has received but passing notice in the press, but I feel should be of concern to the entire Swarthmore student population, namely the recent "elections" in Nigeria. As you may know, Nigeria has been ruled by General Abacha and his military supporters since a coup in June 1993, in which the democratic election was annulled. The free press has been shut down; labor unions have been dissolved; courts have been forbidden from reviewing military decrees; critics have been killed. The legally elected president of the nation, Moshood Abiola, has been missing ever since the coup. In 1995, a letter was sent to Abacha criticizing his government, signed by a diverse group including a score of U.S. Congressman, religious leaders, entertainers, and human rights organizations. Sanctions have been recommended by members of Congress from across party lines, but if one examines the State Department home page, s/he will notice that the only mention of Nigeria is a warning to Americans to avoid Nigerian extortion rackets. Meanwhile, human rights have been ignored as opponents to Abacha's regime are executed, or disappear. Only two years ago, Abacha ordered the execution of Ken Saro-wiwa, a noted author and Goldman Prizewinner who had spoken out on behalf of the oppressed Ogoni minority. Saro-wiwa opposed the sloppy environmental practices of Shell Oil in the Ogoni land, and despite pleas from Amnesty International, he and others were executed for their protest. The international community responded with outrage- and little else. Most recently, Abacha has given in to pressure to move towards democracy by announcing elections in August. Interestingly enough, he is the only candidate on the ballot. The candidacy of Tunji Braithwaite, a lawyer from Lagos who had originally planned to run, was pulled after Abacha had the constitution changed to forbid Braithwaite from running. In addition, only candidates who received a nomination from one of the five state-approved parties are allowed to run; Abacha has been given the nomination by all five parties. The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights has called upon Abacha not to run. Parliamentary elections were held this weekend, but an article in the New York Times claimed that more policemen and soldiers voted in the election than citizens did. At least one polling office in Abuja, the capital of Abacha's regime, had not seen a single voter within the first three hours after opening. Police were stationed at each polling place. A similar turnout is expected for the presidential elections. The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights has called upon Abacha not to run. Over Spring Break, I went to the DMV to get my drivers' license. While waiting, I sat next to a woman from Nigeria who had come here with her family from fear of the government. She said that although she loves her country, she won't take her family back there until a democratic government is in control. A friend from Kenya talks fondly of her home country, but also feels that she is a forced exile until the political situation stabilizes. Every once in a while, the press breaks their silence and allows through a tidbit about the genocides against indigenous peoples in Chiapas, South America, and Indonesia. Occasionally we here from individuals about sufferings in other parts of the world, such as in Nigeria. I am not asking you to immediately take up the crusade against genocide. We are only students, and there are many equally important "causes" out there to pursue. Still, I ask each of you to look beyond the media and the government's moratorium on reporting the horrors occurring beyond our borders, and to follow to some degree the human rights abuses of the world. Many of you will one day be in a position to help alleviate these atrocities, and then I hope you remember that they exist. The United States must end its policy of silence, or one day posterity will look back on this new isolationism and ask why the industrialized nations once again ignored the call of the suffering for protection against military government.

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