Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has described as unmitigated disaster and distasteful, the bloody attack by terrorists targeting Australian Jews celebrating a solemn religious festival on Sunday.
HURIWA said it is disturbing that a father and son duo killed 15 people at a Jewish celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
The father, a 50-year-old, was killed at the scene, taking the number of dead to 16, while his 24-year-old son was in critical condition in hospital, police said at a press conference on Monday.
HURIWA recalled that forty people were taken to hospital following the attack, including two police officers who are in serious but stable condition, police said. The victims were aged between 10 and 87.
Police did not release the shooters’ names, but said the father had held a firearms license since 2015 and had six registered weapons. One of the suspected attackers was known to authorities but had not been deemed an immediate threat, security officials said.
They were identified as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram by state broadcaster ABC and other local media outlets.
Home Minister Tony Burke said the father arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa, while his son is an Australian-born citizen.
Police did not provide details about the firearms, but videos from the scene showed the men firing what appeared to be a bolt-action rifle and a shotgun.
“We are very much working through the background of both persons. At this stage, we know very little about them,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters.
HURIWA which condemned the terrorists attack as an act of undiluted evil not just against members of the Australian Jewish community, but it is an undesirable, unwarranted and absolutely cruel attack on humanity just as the Rights group said the dastardly crimes in Australia which occurred just few days after the World celebrated the World Human Rights Day, demonstrates and reinforces the need for humanity to speak in a unanimous voice in condemnation of terrorism no matter who is involved just as HURIWA said the bloodshed isn’t supported by the Religion of Islam which is globally known as a Religion of peace.
HURIWA stated that Nigerians have first hand experiences of how satanic and despicable terrorism is which is why we are extending our hands of solidarity to the victims of this unacceptable terrorism in Australia.
HURIWA said: ” It is regrettable to note that each year, thousands of innocent lives are shattered by terrorist violence driven by violent extremism. Whether based on religious, ethnic or political grounds, extremist ideologies glorify the supremacy of a particular group, and oppose a more tolerant and inclusive society. Their message of religious, cultural, and social intolerance has wreaked havoc in many regions worldwide.
“HURIWA just like the UN, acknowledges that terrorism, in all its forms and tactics, targets the very foundations of our societies and directly challenges our shared values of peace, justice, and human dignity. It aims to dismantle human rights, fundamental freedoms, and democracy. It threatens the territorial integrity and security of nations and seeks to destabilize legitimate governments.”
HURIWA recalled that to confront and aggressively counter this threat, the international community must strengthen cooperation in preventing and combating terrorism. While countering terrorism requires interventions to protect the security of people and assets, prevention of violent extremism needs to look beyond strict security concerns to development-related causes and solutions. There is a crucial role to be played by international organizations, civil society, academics, religious leaders, and media outlets, in combating both terrorism and the violent extremism that can fuel it.
We in HURIWA notes with satisfaction that in a landmark move on 8 September 2006, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (A/RES/60/288). This unique instrument fosters international cooperation against terrorism and rests on four pillars:
1. addressing conditions conducive to terrorism’s spread;
2. preventing and combating terrorism itself;
3. building state capacity to counter terrorism and strengthening the UN’s role; and
4. ensuring respect for human rights and the rule of law as the foundation for fighting terrorism.
The Strategy is a living document, reviewed every two years by the General Assembly to reflect evolving priorities in the fight against terrorism.”
HURIWA’S statement dated Monday December 15th, was endorsed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko.
