Atheist activist Mubarak Bala freed, safety concerns persist. Image: National Association of Seadogs
(The Post News)- After four years of imprisonment for blasphemy, Mubarak Bala, a prominent Nigerian atheist, is a free man. Bala is now living in a safe house as his legal team fears that his life could be in danger.
Convicted in the Northern city of Kano, his conviction came after pleading guilty 18 charges related to controversial Facebook posts in 2020.
Insulting a religion in Nigeria is not acceptable. If found guilty, people can either be shunned or discriminated against. According to Islamic law, Sharia, operating alongside secular law in 12 states, blasphemy is classified as an offense.
With Bala renouncing his religion in 2014, he admits there were times during his imprisonment that he felt he may not make it out alive. He was afraid some of the guards or inmates targeted him. Kano is mainly a Muslim city. Bala says that there is an underlying danger he now has to face. Despite him being free, he fears that all those threats from all these years may still be out there.
Had it not been for an appeals court judge who had reduced his initial 24-year sentence in 2024, Bala could have been in jail for much longer. The judge described his sentence as “excessive.”
Bala spent two years in prison awaiting trial before his conviction in 2022. During this time, his guilty plea baffled many, including his legal team, but he stood by his decision, claiming that it brought relief to those who stood by him, including his lawyers, friends, and family. Bala feared those attached to his case could become targets as well.
Condemned by international rights groups, Bala’s detention brought up a debate about freedom of speech in Nigeria. Furthermore, his detention sent shockwaves across the small atheist and humanist communities in Nigeria. With his release, it came as a relief to many, but there are still concerns.
Catching up on lost time, Bala is getting to know his son. His son was just six weeks old when Bala was convicted. He says that he has no regrets. Bala further continues saying he always knew that the worst would happen when he posted on social media.
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