Sign the Statement

There can be no more critical freedoms than those of belief and expression. And yet, Mubarak Bala, human rights activist and President of the Nigerian Humanist Association, is currently being held in police custody following his arrest on April 28, 2020. It remains unclear whether Mubarak Bala has been formally charged.

Mubarak Bala’s arrest was prompted by allegations that he insulted the Prophet Muhammad in social media posts. Mubarak has received death threats on Facebook, including repeated threats from a local police officer. Other individuals have threatened to burn down the police station at which Mubarak Bala was being held.

Mubarak Bala has been the victim of death threats and harassment since he renounced Islam in 2014. In June 2014, he was held against his will in a psychiatric facility in Kano state for 18 days. Following his release, Mubarak received repeated death threats.

Grassroots activists around the world are calling on Nigerian officials to:

• Clarify Mubarak Bala’s legal status and release him if he is not charged within the 24 hour time period stipulated by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria;

• Transfer Mubarak Bala to a neutral territory, where it is more likely that he will receive a fair trial, if any trial against him were to take place;

• Guarantee Mubarak Bala’s well-being and safety while he remains in detention, particularly in light of the many death threats he has received and the increased risks posed to him as a prisoner during the COVID-19 outbreak.