By Leo Igwe
While the police authorities in Kano have confirmed that Nigerian Humanist Mubarak Bala is in their custody, they have not granted him access to a lawyer. He has been held incommunicado. The police arrested Mubarak in Kaduna three days ago following a complaint of insulting prophet Muhammad that some lawyers in Kano filed at the State Police Command.
Mubarak was detained in Kaduna for a night before being transferred to Kano two days ago. Since taken to Kano, the police authorities have not allowed him to see his lawyer. The police authorities have been blocking efforts to understand the details of the complaint. This is in breach of Mubarak’s human rights.
There are reports that Mubarak is being beaten and tortured while in detention. There are also concerns over the state of his health, especially with the outbreak of a strange disease and the coronavirus in Kano. In the last 48 hours, there has been no independent confirmation that Mubarak is alive and well, there is no confirmation that he is not being maltreated and that his rights are not being violated. Given the nature of the allegation, there are serious concerns over Mubarak’s health. According to family sources, Mubarak is hypertensive. Many people are worried that Mubarak could be killed while in detention given the several death threats that he has received.
Please kindly help draw the attention of the Nigerian authorities to the case of Mubarak. Ask the police authorities to grant Mubarak access to his lawyer today.
Urge the police to charge him in court formally or release him unconditionally.
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Canadian Atheist Associates: Godless Mom, Nice Mangoes, Sandwalk, Brainstorm Podcast, Left at the Valley, Life, the Universe & Everything Else, The Reality Check, Bad Science Watch, British Columbia Humanist Association, Dying With Dignity Canada, Canadian Secular Alliance, Centre for Inquiry Canada, Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists Association.
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Other National/Local Resources: Association humaniste du Québec, Atheist Freethinkers, Central Ontario Humanist Association, Comox Valley Humanists, Grey Bruce Humanists, Halton-Peel Humanist Community, Hamilton Humanists, Humanist Association of London, Humanist Association of Ottawa, Humanist Association of Toronto, Humanists, Atheists and Agnostics of Manitoba, Ontario Humanist Society, Secular Connextions Seculaire, Secular Humanists in Calgary, Society of Free Thinkers (Kitchener-Waterloo/Cambridge/Guelph), Thunder Bay Humanists, Toronto Oasis, Victoria Secular Humanist Association.
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Other International/Outside Canada Resources: Allianz vun Humanisten, Atheisten an Agnostiker, American Atheists, American Humanist Association, Associação Brasileira de Ateus e AgnósticoséééBrazilian Association of Atheists and Agnostics, Atheist Alliance International, Atheist Alliance of America, Atheist Centre, Atheist Foundation of Australia, The Brights Movement, Center for Inquiry (including Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science), Atheist Ireland, Camp Quest, Inc., Council for Secular Humanism, De Vrije Gedachte, European Humanist Federation, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, Foundation Beyond Belief, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Humanist Association of Ireland, Humanist International, Humanist Association of Germany, Humanist Association of Ireland, Humanist Society of Scotland, Humanists UK, Humanisterna/Humanists Sweden, Internet Infidels, International League of Non-Religious and Atheists, James Randi Educational Foundation, League of Militant Atheists, Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, National Secular Society, Rationalist International, Recovering From Religion, Religion News Service, Secular Coalition for America, Secular Student Alliance, The Clergy Project, The Rational Response Squad, The Satanic Temple, The Sunday Assembly, United Coalition of Reason, Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics.
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Image Credit: Leo Igwe.