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Outrage as Nigeria Jails Atheist for 24 Years for Blasphemy

Kano State High Court has sentenced Mubarak Bala to 24 years imprisonment after he reportedly pleaded guilty to an 18-count charge of blasphemy levelled against him by the Kano State government.

Prosecutors accused Bala of creating Facebook posts that insulted Prophet Muhammad and the religion of Islam and attempted to "cause a breach of the public peace", according to court documents.

Bala, a former muslim and the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was arrested in April 2020. 

Blasphemy against Islam carries a mandatory death penalty. It is rarely imposed.

Activists in the country called the sentence,"a sad day for human rights in Nigeria." UN rights experts and other groups had already condemned his detention and demanded his release, saying the case risked tainting fundamental human rights in Africa's most populous country. 

InFocus

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(file photo).

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