Memorandum to Johannesburg Nigerian Consulate

Press release issued by the African National Congress, 18 November 1995

We, the members of a wide variety of political and civil society organisations and the ordinary people of South Africa, are gathered here today to express our utter disgust and outrage at the assassination of Mr Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders.

Having lived under oppression ourselves we are constantly reminded that an extra day under a dictatorship is a day too long.Our condemnation is directed at the Abacha regime while giving our full support to the suffering people of Nigeria. We therefore commit ourselves to ensure with the means at our disposal the immediate creation of a climate conducive to the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.

Together will all the democrats in South Africa we demand:

• An immediate end to all executions, specifically those of political detainees (among them Chief Abiola and Chief Abanya.)
• The immediate release of all political detainees
• The creation of a climate for free political activity, including the guarantee of freedom of speech and association.

We call on the world community to investigate, and implement, effective measures to pressurise the Abacha regime to comply with these demands immediately.

We, the people of South Africa, who know the price of the struggle for democracy, dedicate ourselves to work unceasingly together with democrats throughout the world, in order to achieve the above objectives. In doing so we will be lead by the needs and objectives of the pro-democracy movement in Nigeria

Issued by the South African Democratic Support Group
17 November 1995