The Humanist community in Nigeria is utterly shocked by the sentencing of Mubarak Bala for ‘blasphemy’. It is utterly disgraceful that a court in this 21st century could convict an individual for making innocuous posts on Facebook. Bala, president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was arrested for blasphemy in 2020 and was convicted on April 5, 2022.

His sentencing is a stark violation of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief. We urge the authorities in Nigeria to ensure that this judicial charade does not stand.

Sign this petition calling on the Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje to use his good offices to intervene and reverse this sentence.

After almost two years of illegal detention, Bala pleaded guilty to the charges. But according to his lawyer, the plea was not part of the legal strategy, and Bala might have been tricked to believe that a guilty plea would earn him a lighter sentence. Incidentally, the plea did not. He has been detained for two years, and the judge didn’t put into consideration what effect it must have had on him or the apparent conflict between his position and that of the lawyer. The judge appeared overly willing to accept the guilty plea, and impose two 24-year sentences, only relenting by allowing them to be served consecutively.

Humanists believe that Bala is being targeted because he renounced Islam, and for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of conscience or belief. Sign this petition to get Nigerian authorities to ensure that the sentence is overturned and that blasphemy laws are repealed.

#FreeMubarakBala