Nigerian atheist Mubarak Bala releases after 4 years in prison for blasphemy
(MENAFN) After spent over four years in prison for blasphemy, a well-known Nigerian atheist was just released and is currently staying in a safe house because his legal team fears for his life.
A court in the northern city of Kano found 40-year-old Mubarak Bala guilty after he unexpectedly entered a guilty plea to 18 charges connected to a contentious 2020 facebook post.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, he said, "The concern about my safety is always there," while enjoying his first supper as a free man.
Because of the strong religious ties in Nigeria, anybody who might be perceived as disparaging Islam or Christianity risk exclusion and discrimination.
Blasphemy is a crime under Sharia, the Islamic legal code that coexists with secular law in 12 northern states. According to Nigeria's penal code, it is also illegal.
"Freedom is here, but also there is an underlying threat I now have to face," he stated. "All those years, those threats, maybe they're out there."
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