Country: Nigeria
Key Fact: self-identified atheist from Kano State in northeast Nigeria
Detained Since: April 28, 2020
Biography: Mubarak Bala is a self-identified atheist from Kano State in northeast Nigeria. He became well known in 2014 when the media reported that he had been forcibly drugged and committed to a psychiatric unit by his family members after telling them he was atheist. He was released shortly thereafter and became an outspoken advocate for Nigerian atheist rights and freedoms. Until his arrest, Bala resided in Kaduna State, about 130 miles south of Kano, and served as the President of the Nigerian Humanist Association.
Alleged Crime: Mubarak Bala was arrested on April 28, 2020, reportedly for a Facebook post in which he allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad. The post reportedly read, “Fact is, you have no life after this one. You have been dead before, long before you were born, billions of years of death.” The arrest followed a petition by a group of lawyers to the Kano State Police Commissioner to prosecute Bala for posting things on Facebook that are “provocative and annoying to Muslims,” and a Change.org petition to close Bala’s Facebook account.
Mubarak Bala has not yet been formally charged. Advocates believe he may be charged with blasphemy under Section 210 of the Penal Code of Kano State, and/or with violating Section 26(1)(c) of the Cyber-crimes Act, which criminalizes insult of any persons due to their belonging to a group distinguished by their religion, among other characteristics. A blasphemy conviction under Kano’s Shari’a court could lead to a death sentence, and if found guilty of violating the Cybercrimes Act he could face a fine and up to five years in prison.
Arrest and Detention: Kaduna State police, in response to a request from Kano State police, arrested Bala in his home in Kaduna State. He was then transferred to Kano State police custody. His whereabouts remain unknown, reportedly for his own safety – civil society activists angered by Bala’s comments online have threatened to burn down the Kano police station should he be held there. They have also reportedly threatened to attack him at the courthouse when he is brought to be arraigned, which has been given as one of the reasons for why he has not been formally charged in a court of law (Kano state courts were also reportedly closed due to a severe Covid-19 outbreak there in the spring). Bala has also been denied access to communication with his lawyer and his wife, who had given birth to a boy six weeks before his arrest. His lawyers fear for his safety and well-being since they have not heard from him for a long time.
USCIRF Advocate: Frederick A. Davie
Advocacy:
Newsroom
Source: www.uscirf.gov
