Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has condemned the bloody attack by terrorists targeting Australian Jews celebrating a solemn religious festival on Sunday.
National Coordinator of the group, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, said it is disturbing that a father and son were among 16 people killed at a Jewish celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
The father, a 50-year-old, was killed at the scene, taking the number of the dead to 16, while his 24-year-old son was in critical condition in hospital, police said at a media briefing yesterday.
HURIWA recalled that 40 people were taken to the hospital following the attack, including two police officers that are in serious but stable condition.
The victims were aged between 10 and 87. Police did not release the shooters’ names but said the father had held a firearms licence 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 described the terrorist attack as an act of undiluted evil not just against members of the Australian Jewish community.
According to the group, it is an undesirable, unwarranted and absolutely cruel attack on humanity. The rights group said the dastardly crimes in Australia, which occurred just a few days after the world celebrated the World Human Rights Day, demonstrate and reinforce the need for humanity to speak in a unanimous voice in condemnation of terrorism no matter who is involved
It also said that the bloodshed was not 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.
“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 destabilise legitimate governments,” the group said.
HURIWA recalled that to confront and aggressively counter this threat, the international community must strengthen cooperation in preventing and combating terrorism, saying: “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 organisations, civil society, academics, religious leaders, and media outlets, in combating both terrorism and the violent extremism that can fuel it.”
