Canadians Rally in Protest at Nigeria Shiite Killings (+Photos)

Hundreds of Canadian citizens staged a rally in Toronto to condemn violent crackdown against Shiite Muslims in Nigeria and the arrest of prominent Nigerian cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky.

Participants in the rally, held in downtown Toronto on Saturday, included representatives from human rights organizations, mosques, and civil society groups.

Holding signs demanding the release of Sheikh Zakzaky, protesters condemned the brutal massacre of a large number of Shiite Muslims by the Nigerian army in Zaria.

Demonstrators also demanded that “the Nigerian army immediately and unconditionally release the injured leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky and all of his family members and followers that they have arrested.”

They also insisted that “an Independent Commission of Inquiry must be set up by the Nigerian government to investigate and try the army chief Tukur Buratai and those officers and soldiers involved in this horrific crime against humanity for ordering the current massacre and the massacre that was perpetrated at the Quds rally in August 2014.”

Protesters then demanded to see Sheikh Zakzaky in public to confirm that he is still alive, to determine the extent of his injuries, and to be given the opportunity to hear his side of the story.