The Freedom From Religion Foundation is cheering the release of Mubarak Bala, the Nigerian human rights advocate unjustly imprisoned for his outspoken views on religion.
Bala, 40, who is president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was finally released this Tuesday after nearly five years of detention stemming from his courageous exercise of free speech. Bala was charged in April 2020 with “causing a public disturbance” in connection to a Facebook post with so-called “blasphemous content” about the Prophet Muhammad. He spent two of the following years in prison prior to being sentenced. Bala pleaded guilty to 18 charges related to the Facebook post, a plea he has defended as saving his life and sparing the persecution of others. In 2022, he was sentenced to 24 years in prison, a sentence that was later reduced by an appeals court. Bala’s first child was born just six weeks before his arrest.
His case drew international condemnation as a glaring violation of human rights, including freedom of belief and expression, both of which are enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and international treaties to which Nigeria is a party.
While his release is cause for celebration, the BBC reports that he is unfortunately living in a safehouse because his legal team fears his life may be in danger.
“We celebrate Mubarak Bala’s freedom and honor his resilience in the face of relentless persecution,” says FFRF Co-President Dan Barker. “But his case underscores the importance of demanding repeal of blasphemy laws.” Barker recently visited Nigeria to participate in a Humanist Association of Nigeria event.
Leo Igwe, founder of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, has commented: “Thanks that he’s out, thanks that he’s a free man. But no thanks, because there is a dent on him as if he committed a crime. For us at the Humanist Association, he committed no crime.”
Bala’s case is a stark illustration of the dangers posed by blasphemy laws, which silence dissent and persecute minority groups. His imprisonment prompted widespread advocacy efforts, with FFRF joining a coalition of international organizations and individuals condemning Bala’s prosecution and imprisonment.
Nigeria must repeal its blasphemy laws to ensure the safety and rights of freethinkers and dissenters like Bala. As many as 79 countries still have blasphemy laws, banning speech or actions considered contemptuous of deities or of people or objects considered sacred. And 22 countries legislate against “apostasy,” which means abandoning one’s faith. Sentences vary from fines and prison sentences to death, according to Pew Research Center.
These barbaric and outdated laws show the dangers of uniting government with religion. As FFRF always points out: Blasphemy is a victimless crime — nevertheless creating all-too-many freethinking victims.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 40,000 members and several chapters across the country. Its purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
