SERAP has sent an open letter to @realDonaldTrump asking him to exercise his constitutional powers pursuant to the Presidential Proclamations 7750 and 8697 to instruct the US Secretary of State and US Ambassador in Nigeria to temporarily ban Nigerian state governors ...
..and other senior public officials misusing the criminal justice system to jail journalists, bloggers and activists reporting on allegations of corruption from entering the US.
SERAP also urges @realDonaldTrump to use Presidential Proclamation 8697 (which allows the US Department of State to deny visas to foreign officials, their families and friends) who participate in serious human rights violations ...
...and other abuses such as misusing the criminal justice system to jail journalists, bloggers and activists to prevent them from reporting on allegations of corruption and other related cases.
The letter followed SERAP’s report titled “A Downward Spiral: How Federal and State Authorities are Tightening the Screws on Media Freedom in Nigeria” and launched today in Lagos. 
Democracy demands ‘maximum disclosure’ of all government held information, and this won’t happen without respect for media freedom and the citizens’ rights to know.
Undue restrictions on media freedom and the right to know would imply nothing short of abrogation of the ideals of democracy and good governance. Citizens’ right to know is vital for social welfare and other human rights.
Media freedom and the right of citizens to know constitute a crucial bulwark of democracy. It is essential for the general progress of a democratic society if people are to effectively monitor their government’s affairs ...
...and democratically participate in the running of society, they must have access to government-held information, which the media should be allowed to freely report.
The report documents the increasing cases of harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests and detention and deaths of journalists, bloggers and other media workers while carrying out their legitimate work.
Specifically,the report documents cases of attacks on journalists, bloggers & activists reporting on allegations of corruption & related matters in the following states of Nigeria:Cross River state; Abia state; Ebonyi state; Kano state; Jigawa state; Bauchi state; & Kaduna state
Also, 109 journalists were attacked between 2010 and 2015,and several more journalists, bloggers, radio and TV stations and activists have been targeted since 2015.
At least 36 attacks on journalists were recorded between January & July 2019 alone, 30 of the attacks happening during the 2019 general elections
The attacks and harassment include arbitrary arrests and detention, physical attacks and even deaths. In 2018, at least 45 radio and TV stations were sanctioned by the authorities on unfounded allegations of breaching some codes of conduct
Proactive initiatives to protect media freedom and human rights that would invariably contribute to transparency and accountability globally have always been in the best long-term interests of the US.
Mr @realDonaldTrump application of targeted sanctions would reaffirm US commitments to human rights, and media freedom and help to supplement the criminal justice in Nigeria and be entirely consistent with the US international obligations.
SERAP believes that @realDonaldTrump government’s imposition of targeted sanctions against those accused of misusing the criminal justice system to attack, intimidate, harass and jail journalists, bloggers and activists in Nigeria would help to deter other state governments, ...
...governors and other senior public officials from limiting the enjoyment of Nigerians’ right to information about what their government is doing in their names.
We argue that the imposition of temporary travel bans on public officials complicit in violation of media freedom and preventing reporting of allegations of corruption is a preventive and not punitive measure.
SERAP believes that applying presidential proclamations 7750 and 8697 would be very helpful to Nigeria’s efforts to protect media freedom,improve transparency and accountability and generally ensure full respect for human rights of journalists,bloggers & activists across Nigeria.
SERAP hopes that @realDonaldTrump will exercise his constitutional powers to promote human rights, media freedom, transparency and accountability in Nigeria
SERAP also notes that Presidential Proclamations 7750 and 8697 underscore the important role of the media in the establishment of legitimate and transparent public institutions to world stability, peace, and development.
The proclamations note the US ‘enduring commitment to respect for human rights and humanitarian law’, which requires that its Government be able to ensure that the US does not become a safe haven for suspected violators of human rights and other abuses.
They also aim to help the US authorities to secure peace, promote the rule of law, combat crime and corruption, and strengthen democracies around the globe.
