UN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ATHEIST MUBARAK BALA FOR COMPARING PROPHET MUHAMMAD TO TB JOSHUA ON FACEBOOK

&NewLine;<p>The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has called on the Nigerian Government and Kano State Government to effect the immediate release of Mubarak Bala&comma; an atheist currently imprisoned for insulting Prophet Muhammed and Nigerian Pastor TB Joshua in a Facebook post&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The call was made jointly by eleven United Nations experts&comma; including six special rapporteurs led by Ahmed Shaheed&comma; Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Bala&comma; a former Islamist turned atheist&comma; has been in detention for the last 90 days&comma; after being accused of blasphemy&comma; which carries the death sentence&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>In April 2020&comma; he posted on Facebook in Hausa&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;There is no difference between Prophet T&period;B Joshua of Lagos and Prophet Muhammad of Saudi Arabia&semi; our own from Nigeria is even better in that he was not a terrorist&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>This post led to the arrest and detention of Mubarak Bala by Kano State Government through the Commissioner of Police&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Bala was also arrested in 2014 when he was forcefully detained by family members in a psychiatric ward because he became an outspoken atheist&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Gary McLelland&comma; CEO of Humanists International said &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;News of Mubarak’s arrest is of serious concern to the international humanist community&period; Mubarak is a well-known and hugely respected activist&period; We are working with our Members&comma; Associates and Supporters to coordinate a global response to have Mubarak freed&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Leo Igwe&comma; founder of the Humanist Association of Nigeria also said &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;All of us at the Humanist Association of Nigeria are deeply worried by the arrest and detention of our president&comma; Mubarak Bala&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;