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Published 15 May 2021
The United States has expressed dissatisfaction at how Nigerian courts continue to convict citizens of blasphemy, sentence them to long-term imprisonment and death.
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stated this during the release of the 2020 International Religious Freedom Report on Thursday.
He also said the Nigerian government has not brought anyone to justice for the “massacre” of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria also known as Shiites.
“In Nigeria, courts continue to convict people of blasphemy, sentencing them to long-term imprisonment or even death. Yet the government has still not brought anyone to justice for the military’s massacre of hundreds of Shia Muslims in 2015,” Blinken was quoted in the report.
The United States government has criticised how Nigerian courts have continued to sentence citizens to long jail terms for blasphemy and death.
The US position was disclosed by the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, during the release of the 2020 International Religious Freedom Report this week.
He wondered why the Nigerian government has not brought anyone to justice for the “massacre” of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria also known as Shiites.
Quoting the report, the Blinken said, “In Nigeria, courts continue to convict people of blasphemy, sentencing them to long-term imprisonment or even death. Yet the government has still not brought anyone to justice for the military’s massacre of hundreds of Shia Muslims in 2015.”
Nigeria’s continued sentencing of citizens over blasphemy worrisome US
The United States has expressed dissatisfaction at how
Nigerian courts continue to convict citizens of blasphemy, sentence them to
long-term imprisonment and death.
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stated this during
the release of the 2020 International Religious Freedom Report this week.
He also said the Nigerian government has not brought anyone
to justice for the “massacre” of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria
also known as Shiites.
“In Nigeria, courts continue to convict people of blasphemy,
sentencing them to long-term imprisonment or even death. Yet the government has
Nigeria is truly fortunate to have a Federal Constitution that guarantees fundamental human rights. It also has Fundamental Rights Enforcement Rules designed to ensure “enhanced access to justice for all classes of litigants, especially the poor, the illiterate, the uninformed, the vulnerable, the incarcerated, and the unrepresented.” Everyone from the man-in-the-street, the police, politicians, lawyers, the courts up to the President have a solemn duty to ensure the rights of every citizen are protected and to act expeditiously whenever a citizen’s rights are denied.
But, in Nigeria, what you see is not what you get. Mubarak Bala, the President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was arrested on April 28, 2020 for making a Facebook post that was critical of Prophet Muhammed. You might think Bala is entitled to his opinion of the Prophet of Islam and you might think the Constitution guarantees his right to express his opinion. But everyone is entitled to their opinion, so
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Calls for the release of Mubarak Bala, a Nigerian atheist and humanist leader jailed for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad on Facebook, have mounted as the anniversary of his arrest passed on Wednesday (April 28). Humanist groups say his detention is a violation of Bala’s right to freedom of belief and expression.
Bala was detained on April 28, 2020, after a law firm in Kano, a majority Muslim state in northern Nigeria, petitioned the Kano commissioner of police, alleging that Bala had posted articles that provoked and annoyed Muslims.
The 37-year-old Bala, who recanted his Muslim faith in 2014, has since faced numerous death threats and harassment, according to Humanists International.