Humanists around the world have been eagerly watching and waiting for developments in the case of human rights advocate Mubarak Bala, President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria.
On 28 April 2020, Mubarak was arrested and taken from his home in Kaduna state, Nigeria, by officers from Kano State Police Command, after he was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post. In contravention of his human rights, Mubarak has been kept in isolation, without charge, and without access to his lawyers, for five months.
Finally, after much delay, refusals, and a lack of cooperation from Nigerian officials, the next hearing of Bala’s fundamental rights case before the High Court in Abuja is set to take place today (the 15th of October). Humanists International believes that Mubarak is being targeted for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief, and calls for the case against him to be dropped, for Bala to be granted unimpeded access to his legal advisers, and for him to either be charged with a crime or released.
Global Protest
A global protest has been planned for today, to coincide with the court hearing, and protests will be held outside of Nigerian Embassies around the world.
However, New Zealand does not have a Nigerian Embassy. The nearest Embassy is in Canberra, Australia. We at Humanist NZ have been in touch with Canberra Humanists, and along with their other protest banners they will carry a banner on our behalf.
We need your help
We are asking you, as a New Zealand humanist, to help us by taking part in an email avalanche to the Australian Nigerian Embassy today, while the protests are taking place around the world. The following message may be used (although you are free to write your own if you prefer):
As a New Zealander I am concerned that Mubarak Bala, President of the Nigerian Humanist Society, is being targeted for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief. I ask that the case against him be dropped, and that Mubarak Bala be given unimpeded access to his legal advisers. Mubarak should either be charged with a crime, or released. If charged, he should be transferred to a neutral territory in order to ensure his right to a fair trial.
Your email can either be sent to the Embassy email address (chancery@nigeria-can.org.au), or via the Embassy website’s contact page (https://nigeria-can.org.au/contact-us/).
Thank you for taking part in this global action to ensure the Nigerian Government knows that the world is aware of this injustice.