2025 In Focus: Holding the Line Against Torture
By Andrew Lane, Legal Assistant
In October 2020, thousands of Nigerians protested the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a police unit notorious for torture, extortion, and killings. The government responded with a harsh crackdown, arresting many and detaining them without charge.
Taiwo Dosunmu, a videographer, went to a police station to clarify that he had not participated in the protests. Instead, he was imprisoned without trial at Kirikiri Correctional Facility. For nearly four years, he endured overcrowding, poor sanitation, inadequate food and medical care, and complete isolation—conditions amounting to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. His case file disappeared, charges were inconsistent, and authorities offered no legal basis for his detention.
In January 2024, the Citizens’ Gavel Foundation for Social Justice, a Nigerian legal advocacy NGO, took up his case. Despite obstruction from officials, Gavel launched a strategic litigation plan, challenging his treatment, exposing procedural violations, and reinforcing Nigeria’s obligations under the Anti-Torture Act and international law. Their motion to dismiss for lack of diligent prosecution succeeded, securing Taiwo’s release.
A financial partnership with REDRESS, funded through the EU’s United Against Torture initiative, made this possible. It enabled Citizens’ Gavel to provide legal representation, address systemic failings, and restore Taiwo’s freedom—sending a powerful message of hope to others still in detention. His story shows how even modest, timely support can protect lives, restore dignity, and spark broader reform. With continued backing, local partners like Gavel can turn justice from a possibility into an unstoppable reality.
Through our Solidarity programme and networks such as the United Against Torture Consortium and the Global Initiative Against Impunity, we provide financial and organisational support to organisations around the world, build capacity, and amplify collective impact.
We also foster a global community of lawyers, academics, and activists advancing justice and reparation. Last year alone, we trained human rights defenders on sanctions mechanisms, UK immigration practitioners on anti-torture law, and human rights defenders on freedom of religion or belief; hosted webinars on survivor participation; published a casebook of strategic cases against torture; and connected more than 4,000 reparation practitioners through our Just Reparation bulletin.
Taiwo’s victory is a reminder: partnership, solidarity, and shared knowledge turn individual cases into lasting progress toward a world free from torture.
Photo: ©Utu Wetu