Nigeria's military "killed, quickly buried bodies of 300 Shia Muslims"December 24, 2015 - 10:12 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Nigeria's military killed and quickly buried the bodies of at least 300 Shia Muslims in an unjustified attack in the northern Zaria city earlier this month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said, according to BBC News. The bodies were buried without family members' permission, it added. Military spokesman Brig General Rabe Abubakar told the BBC the army had not killed anyone. Reports of the deaths sparked outrage among Shia around the world and Iran called for their protection. HRW said Nigeria's army version of events "does not stack up" and called for an independent judicial investigation into what happened. The Shia have rejected a committee set up by the government to look into the incident, saying it would be biased. "At best it was a brutal overreaction and at worst it was a planned attack on the minority Shia group," HRW Africa direction Daniel Bekele said. The military accuses the pro-Iranian sect of trying to assassinate army chief Gen Tukur Buratai, which it denies. It also released images purportedly showing Shia with sticks and some throwing stones at them when they tried to pass through a makeshift roadblock erected by the group. But Human Rights Watch says there has been no "credible information" that any soldiers were injured or killed. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |