if i. hear today how. could the turks. i. i think there's been a lot of. misrepresentation when it comes to the double depressed we don't extremely or very well you ranked 100 and 20th out of 180 countries the glorious record as it were still i think is a lot of ignorance and a lot of fun this chief whether something has to be that you're covering up damaging evidence present that it doesn't appear to interest been taken care of despite promises to respect the rule of law nigeria's government stands accused by the international community of serious human rights abuses my guest this week here

in london is live mohammed the country's information minister how does he defend against the country's many critics when the evidence of wrongdoing is so compelling . like mohammed welcomes conflict so thank you for the human rights record of your administration has been widely condemned by the un western countries your own lawyers international human rights bodies for brutality and the stunning lack of accountability why do you say this go on and early june why didn't you get a grip on this i think there's been a lot of. misrepresentation. by all these groups absolutely really working concert well or you know they're working constant or they're working

in not a lot but i know for a fact that's essential in particular as being very sensitive to the issue of human rights most sometimes terrorists politicians actively it's i confused with human rights so you put it all down to confusion i would do that because i do not know as a fact and i've been minister for almost 5 years that this any policy of my mistress. that deliberately targeted at infringing on anybody's rights missed the last september the un special rapporteur on extrajudicial summary

or arbitrary executions agnus kalama she launched a damning report on nigeria i'm sorry in the human rights abuses of your security forces she said she spoke of countrywide patterns of abuses include the police military's excessive use of lethal lethal force in violation of the political international standards i'm sure you read the report page is not a person who makes these accusations lightly or indeed i did but i would have been much more impressed if an example was. given now you must not forget that language has been locked in a war of attrition with a book for almost a decade and the kind of. war we are fighting is a war amongst people. and. even then the military has been very

careful to ensure that as much as possible writes i know about it it now i've also read about the reports of people who claim that there isn't balloted simply because they have been arrested by any of the security agencies and they've been asked to go through or due process but i know her supporters see this government does nobody to them but is right if it's not a matter of policy why have there been so few investigations the un investigators spoke about the absence of meaning effective investigations the absence of meaningful prosecution all of which are compounded she said by the lack of transparency over the vast majority of security issues that accusation about lack of transparency and effective communication strategy goes straight to your door minister doesn't it you are the minister of information serious criticism here

but what i do know is a fact that. several. keys of abuse of you know rights kelly against soldiers have not only be investigated but people have been punished and have been made public how many how many people i don't know offhand but i knew the minister of information was of course i can know everything but i knew for i know that the military or so is very jealous of his reputation and they have set up many say you know. i also and african officer i've been dismissed or imprisoned. the international criminal court isn't isn't impressed by a record that says in 20000 there was a reasonable basis to believe that the nigerian security forces committed the war

crimes of murder torture cruel treatment outrages upon personal dignity and intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population but you have failed to cooperate with investigators and failed to provide information that they requested and if you take these things seriously and you cannot but take the word of the international criminal court seriously you would have provided that information why didn't you how would you know what information they are asking for a law provided by another would be incorporated in with a breach as history will it come through they say they won't they won't getting help from you they were getting them from the hay nor the the i.c.c. . met with the authorities had a career and we would have no choice but to cooperate they've been waiting for years to get your cooperation and it hasn't come minister maybe you're out of the loop here what maybe you don't have information about what's going on in your own

government and very. ill formed or go so my government and ourselves at least i do take the trouble to ask and. i am not the case again i'm not aware that we have we don't our cooperation from the i.c.c. the un special rapporteur speaks of countless allegations of excessive use of force by your police in particular officers of the special anti robbery squad or saw as you said you wanted specific examples a specific examples they've been accused of widespread torture in some cases leading to deaths in custody and extra judicial killings so the unit is clearly out of control isn't it because the un human rights committee warned your government to ensure that this group operates in accordance with international standards because they don't trust that it's doing that at the moment why would that be i just i think i'm aware of that and at

a point in time when support came out the sas was disbanded and little billy constituted and you know one that as forth. they must. ensure that they operated within the confines of the law your own national human rights commission investigated their activities and even held public hearings but the results were never published were. not aware that the river i'm i'm not aware that i was on what are published and i took my assumption has to be that you're covering up damaging evidence doesn't it with your friends i don't think so we had a couple of brain damage in a desert some police men were dismissed then targets science was disbanded and reorganized there after. minister on the question of providing information to outside investigators you failed to provide information to the

u.n. under the international covenant on civil and political rights which nigeria has signed last august the treaty body accused you of failing to honor your reporting obligations under article 40 of the covenant and ignoring numerous reminders to do self why is that when you told me all cooperating so openly with these bodies why would they say that might be housing true i want to know that they will say that but i know that we have never shown any internationalization we are very open as to the facts i was not her she would use that much as possible for any country who is in a wig and in turn out you know who is putting. his whole jesse very open and we we operate with international you know regulations and laws

well clearly you don't go into the bodies that monitor these situations well it depends a for it it depends on from what perspective they get at the information we're getting it from different perspectives and then we're talking about human rights organizations international human rights organizations we're talking about the u.n. we're talking about. all kinds of bodies the international criminal court they're all saying the same thing that you're not cooperating and you sit here in front in front of me minister says about simply not true it's like saying it's starkness outside when we can see it's very like no no no i think that knowledge is not correct i ignore the daily we receive we entity and we engage all these bodies. as a government and you're not going to move from that version despite the evidence that i have. yet to see anybody any evidence that them.

that is so very logical might as official in that as not responded to it when he talked about sus yes admitted that yes it will be pursued report and we took action mr we're all not stonewalling on requests for information you're taking radio stations of the air and having reporters arrested or beaten june last year you tried shutting down nigeria's oldest private t.v. channels well as radio stations owned by a member of the opposition p.d.p. raymond doc pacey a federal court overturned your suspension but the nigerian guild of editors called this a barbaric crackdown on free speech why you launching a barbaric crackdown on free speech i think is a lot of ignorance and a lot of this jeev get it just don't know what i'm talking about of really good the press is station was closed down because he ordered the national read little not because of the news it was pushing out and in january last year soldiers raided

the offices of one of your leading papers the daily trust of the arrested reporters in march of journalists have been held for 2 years was rearrested you rank 100 and 20th out of 180 countries in the press freedom in the acts of reporters without borders it's not a glorious record is it minister well as i think when it comes to the level of the press. we're doing extremely very well if papers run foul of the law the must visit consequences but when you have back today 100 newspapers in a country and a 2nd example one is pivotal squadron with here i think should be fair to us that we have a very robust free press amnesty international says that between january and september last year at least 19 journalists and media practitioners were attacked those

attacks and clued verbal and physical assault and indiscriminate arrest and detention by your security forces in the impression ministers therefore that your aims seems to be to stifle freedom of expression especially critical voices you don't like criticism that's the correct is it because i think many of these people don't live on that don't know the eco system of the media in injury regularly every major you know print media is owned by individuals and i can tell you that this they had a list of all 12 national newspapers and trust dilip trust i thought i don't quite remember what the story was but you cannot take the example of one newspaper among about 20 to say that the country is stifling the media on the contrary at a point in time i felt that was the government it was ocular the receiving end of the media what has also worried people enormously his decision to submit

a bill which in its original form would have seen anyone convicted of so-called hate speech actually sentenced to death by hanging on the particular circumstances you actually wanted and you sought authorization from parliament to kill people because of something they said why would you do a thing like that extraordinary and shocking provision added what is it was. even there as a people there's what is cause oppression of power in the in or in most major democracies this particular be talking about is it bill submitted not by designating a budget a decision by the listed him of government so how can you accuse the executive you summited you submitted this we did not serve as a source of the sort of ignorance we did not this this is a private member's bill but a senator with just the you have this and you're telling me you didn't want it to

go through is that we do have a choice in which bills go through or not the bill has been discussed there's public airing what is it the government does not commonly do when the bill or the passed and you didn't use any influence to get the top thought out or absolutely none if this bill had gone through mr journalist could have been jailed for any article deemed threatening abusive or insulting and could have been hung if their work caused any loss of life what you didn't object to this bill that you ignored as if. they were what is called the tree of the penal power. the only thing you can do as president is refuse your asset so it's a lot the last couple of been past the lot what would not our data but desire to keep the law is still going through the senate so how did that how did i just miss the president stopped with i've been accused of no dictatorship and muslim the you

telling me you wouldn't have signed the law with that provision in it i think this you can tell me about can it you have been speculative you can tell us why when we went we'd get one yet that bridge right across it would look at what are the contents of that law and what form will be passed but you see people rushed in order to history to judge to judge when you can't if we don't have one you said we submitted that that bill we did not we know nothing other than wanted submitted. we don't micromanage the parliament really what about the protection from internet for sword and manipulations bill also carrying draconian provisions on the journalists could be in prison and who for publishing content all the author of that bill are you against this bill will know i'm not even aware that bill you are not of the protection from internet false or the manipulations bill you're not even aware of nowhere vittia. so it can't because it's causing it's causing an outcry

internationally and you're the minister of information and nothing about us nor thought bill before the house there is a bill to say that averted that it is really there is not such a bill before the house reporters without borders said these bills talking about the prohibition of hate speech bill and the protection from internet falso the manipulations bill and they said these bills contain extremely harsh penalties that violate international law and are likely to be used to gag the media and you're saying you know nothing about the doctors saying with they were wrong in saying that the submitted the heat speak bill. mr let's talk about corruption because in your country it seems to begin with the government doesn't it the international center for investigative reporting said last year that among 9 countries in sub-saharan africa nigeria has the worst managed sovereign wealth fund

based on accountability transparency and oversight by 0 records of bad absolutely false late absolutely possible report by the national resource institute's africa office based on data from 2017 said you had failed to regularly disclose publicly the financial interests of government officials in the extractive sector or the identities of beneficial owners of extractive companies despite making public commitments to do so the subsidy forces the 1st thing you do on the 1st obligation as a minister or a public official is way too little it probably declare ration of oil assets. and any minister or public official who does not do still risks being prosecuted and we know many who are not been prosecuted as a result of that too is to the courage of this administration that only if you months ago we passed you know we put him in the in place a policy that compels every ministry every department to make public any

expenditure above 10000 past so that the public can challenge what is being spent for is also good of a position that no government has ever succeeded in securing the condition of high profile politicians as an instruction as by those of them who belong to the ruling party we continue to fight corruption because and you for and you follow the rules do absolutely so in 2018 why in towards the close of president will his 1st wives of the auditor general himself raise serious concerns about the so-called excess crude account that you have this is an oil savings account which holds dollar reserves from crude oil that are sold above the assumed benchmark price and in july that year the auditor general warned you to bring your handling of this account into line with the more why if you tell me you follow the rules did he feel

the need to say this is precisely because. he said it shows how to correct them so sean is the editor there and is an appointee of just how shocking he thinks your behavior actually is no us nor on the contrary really shows the level of transparency in the instruction that an appointee of got plenty can't say this yet retain his job he noted there have been doctrines from the account which appeared to have been made illegally in other words deductions that apparently violated constitutional provisions why would that be and why would he say that if you're following the rules as you tell me you are everywhere in the world to live in the most were no democracies you have what it is generous you have what would it a generous yes yes and their duty is to monitor the excesses of government now defunct that is allowed to do the job and the sea remains in office i think is

testament to the fact that we really belittles bit in oh i am station the effect if this is one congratulations for that always be heard i am going to for as good as for as i get from you as as i was supposed to know not just as i'm from the auditor general who says you are not in line with the law but with that you don't think that man was asked by did this to the. to the correctness or not of that you know. the fact that he can make that allegation submit it is bill clinton and his team are admitted that they are i think it's that will happen in a day and station that the whole bit of interest me says the audit team could find no legal authority for even the existence of this excess crude account so it's a sham and a slush fund isn't it why don't why don't you admit it. and with that yeah there's no legal basis for this for this account and you know i don't think it's correct to

say that this normally would be what because the. cult i've known about it even before we came to government. it said the audit team could find no legal authority for even the existence of this excess crude account how come you didn't or persistent warnings from the auditor general as he said year after year not just your government but the previous one going back to 2007 to bring this in line with the law again you tell me you follow the rules but it's not backed up by the auditor general we followed the rules and like even that allegation even that arthur is correct the all idea of an auditor general is to point out to you what you do wrong unfortunately to write i don't see any government the war that is in all we always follow the law will do everything correctly but as you get the fund that that original recommend report and nothing else couple team is still in office

yes and what you continue to make illegal deductions from the account what a deposit what you made a good illegal illegal doctrine deductions that violated constitutional provisions it's not you see if a god member list concessional provision it is the little ditty of the parliament to take appropriate action but i don't believe that we do sponsibility the government if it cares about the people's money to mend its ways and oh of course and will but that's if you had lived that you have even the little of the laws but what from sins and yes they are today out of alfonso much normal is the all essence of a degenerate anywhere in the ward that it will be just ambulances and ali as does what will put it out here is that there are some regularities and then the appropriate you know i am of god plenty who did it for so what are you going to do in future about this i'm sure it has been and if he what are you going to do if those allegations are true and has been taken care of but hasn't been in these been

reporting and complaining about the government's attitude to the subject since 2007 well just as the un has been complaining that you haven't been giving information about 2. and excesses of violence used by your security forces as the international criminal court has been complaining all these complaints are piling up minister what are you going to do in the future will we stone what we look at every congress will look at our current there and we take action like i've told you they have been several yes many military officers are been jailed some have been dismissed and it's now interests global witness says despite a 50 year all boom which transform the jury's economy into the largest in africa 80 percent of your people live on less than $2.00 a day they say that an estimated $400000000000.00 has gone missing from state coffers are you going to tell the people of nigeria where that money has gone.

on down i watch between 201520 an 80 nobody can subsist suffered in such allegation and i can only speak for when i became minister and i can see that between 1015 and 20 nobody can talk about oil money missing. my mama thanks very much for being accomplished so thank you very much.

strong opinions clear positions international perspectives. the wolves be marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the streets discount for time the lessons of the home of cool speech and given the resurgence of anti-semitism in germany and elsewhere kudos to it something you can find out on so the point. to the point it's a. few minutes on d w. to.

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are we alone it's a fundamental question on your manager trying to figure out whether or not. life existed on mars pretty clear water was there quite abundance while that would be and so on mars the atmosphere is a 100th of what we have here on earth it's very very cold at the past it's like. you could imagine bringing. some supplies you know you could do and build a little self-contained pressure vehicle or vessel which would be on the surface there are things like hawks and that you can harvest from the atmosphere to help make living possible. if you want to think of humanity if we really want to survive forever we're going to have to move off the earth a ventilator and i know that seems a little crazy but you've got to start somewhere.

exotic capital. this is the devil you know is live from berlin tonight a corona virus outbreak is now a global health emergency. for all of the polls this reasons i'm declaring a puppy close emergency of international concern over the global outbreak wolf you know little call and i'm going to put on my writer's. moral health organization making that declaration just hours ago it comes as the total number of cases approaches each oust despite widespread lock downs and public screenings the virus is now in every region of mainland china.