Nigerian atheist charged with “blasphemy” 17 months after arrest
DEAF to international outrage following the arrest of Bala, 37 – president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria – the authorities officially charged him with a whole series of offenses, including one for “blasphemy”, which, under Kano State law, is punishable by up to two sentences. years in prison.
Stephen Evans, Managing Director of the UK-based National Secular Society said the charges, stemming from Bala’s Facebook posts that allegedly contained “blasphemous” and anti-Islamic content, said ten charges against the humanist were:
A flagrant violation of Mubarak Bala’s fundamental right to freedom of expression. Blasphemy should never be a crime, and Mubarak Bala should be released, and his safety and rights guaranteed, immediately and unconditionally.
We again join the calls to the Nigerian authorities to release Mubarak Bala and to governments around the world to unite in demanding his release.
Last month the Nigerian newspaper The nation added his voice to those calling for Bala’s immediate release, calling his detention “illegal”.
He pointed out that the Abuja High Court ruled in December 2020 that his detention violated his rights to personal liberty, a fair trial and freedom of thought and expression and awarded him 250,000 N (around 600 $) damages.
The court also ordered his immediate release, an order, according to Humanists International, this was not taken into account.
HI reported that on July 14, a second hearing of Bala fundamental rights petition took place. The matter was adjourned following the respondents’ failure to appear in court. The case was then postponed to July 22, but its next hearing is now scheduled to take place in September.
HI also reported that comments on Bala’s Facebook page called for his assassination.
In addition, individuals have threatened to burn down the police station in which he is being held and to kill him if he sets foot in Kano.
Among those who threaten to kill him is a sergeant attached to the Bauchi State Police Command. According to Sahara Reporters, the sergeant in question is “known to have used a fake named – Datti Assalafiy – on Facebook to spread hatred and religious sectarianism – where he encourages his more than 160,000 followers to execute Christians and others, who do not share their extreme ideas.
On April 26, 2020, a Change.org petition calling for the closure of Bala’s Facebook account collected more than 17,000 signatures. The petition was later withdrawn by Change.org.
Bala was arrested last April after a group of lawyers accused him of posting comments “provocative and annoying to Muslims” on Facebook.
The Islamic justice system, Sharia, operates in 12 predominantly Muslim states in the north of the country alongside a secular justice system. A lawyer fighting for his release reportedly said police arrested him on “a custodial charge” usually used to detain detainees without bringing formal charges against them.
In his editorial, The nation noted:
It is unjustifiable that the authorities ignored the court ruling. By disobeying the court, the authorities have ironically shown their contempt for the rule of law. The campaign for Bala’s release from his illegal detention has been ignored by the authorities, suggesting undemocratic governance.
This is a case of abuse of power that has caught the attention of international observers. Notably, a group of seven UN human rights experts issued a statement in April condemning the “flagrant violation” of his “basic human rights”. They also drew attention to their efforts to have him released. His wife, Amina, described his “psychological and emotional trauma” as “unbearable”. They have a small child.
When Bala first declared his apostasy, members of his Muslim family believed he had a mental illness sent him to a mental hospital in 2014.
The nation noted:
He is a virulent atheist and his rejection of religion is offensive to many in the Muslim-dominated northern region of the country.
Activists for his freedom see him as a victim of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). There is no doubt that his arrest and detention violates some of his basic rights under the country’s secular constitution, which is supreme.
Bala’s illegal detention is reprehensible. Being an unbeliever should not expose him to abuse of power based on the religious beliefs of those in power. He must be released immediately and unconditionally.
