Nigerian journalist jailed for reporting on attacks on Christians

A Nigerian magistrate has arranged to try a local journalist from the anti-communist Epoch Times who was arrested for reporting on attacks on predominantly Christian communities and the government’s failure to protect its citizens.

Catholic journalist Luka Binniyat, who was arrested in November last year, will stand trial on September 6 on charges of “cyberstalking” and aiding and abetting cybercrime, charges he denies, Catholic News Agency report.

Epoch Times Africa editor Doug Burton earlier blamed Binyat’s arrest on October 29 Article He wrote, titled, “In Nigeria, Police Condemn Holocaust As ‘Evil’ But Don’t Arrest.” The article was part of the newspaper’s report on the deadly persecution of Christian farming communities in African countries, known as human rights advocates say has escalated to near “genocide levels” in recent years because thousands has been killed.

Christian Concerns International, a U.S.-based persecution watchdog, said in a report that Christians in central Nigeria, including the northern state of Kaduna, are frequently targeted and killed by militant Fulani militants. statementExplains that since the majority of Christians in Nigeria are farmers and the Fulani are nomads, it is common to describe the situation as an agro-pastoral conflict rather than a genocide.

CNA quoted Robert Destro, a law professor at the Catholic University of America and former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, as saying: “Binniette’s arrest and trial is an attempt to get those who speak out about attacks on Christians in Nigeria. journalists remain silent.” During the Trump administration, as it was said.

“No politician likes to criticize, but most people understand that a journalist’s job is to find the facts and report honestly,” Destro said.

In his article, Binniyat countered that Kaduna’s Internal Security and Home Affairs Commissioner Samuel Aruwan described the state’s attack on Christian farmers as a “conflict”.

Nigerian government has long refute Human rights activists claim that a religion genocide It is being held in the central belt states of Nigeria.

according to a A recent study Data from the Anambra-based International Civil Liberties and Rule of Law Society shows that at least 60,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria over the past two decades. The group, run by Christian criminologist Emeka Umeagbalasi, reports that in 2021 alone, hundreds of churches will be threatened, attacked, closed, destroyed or burned.

In his article, Binniyat quoted a Nigerian senator who accused the Kaduna government of “using Christian Samuel Aruwan to sow chaos and by describing the attack as a ‘conflict’ cover up the genocide in South Kaduna, Christians” instead of targeted violence against Christians.

Binyat was reportedly released on bail in February, but his health deteriorated during his incarceration, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom famoussaid he had problems with his joints and one knee that required him to walk on crutches.

He was jailed in 2017 for “breaking the peace”.

The reporter previously served as the president of the Vanguard newspaper until 2017.

“Then after he was imprisoned, I don’t think he was employed by any newspaper because he was considered a controversial reporter in the way it was explained to me,” Burton told The Christian Post in a previous interview. “So I started working with him in March of this year, maybe in May of this year. I encouraged him to … write stories for The Epoch Times. I worked with him as his editor. So he posted something this year about kidnappings and Very timely and factual coverage of the Holocaust.”

Binniyat is married with six children.

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