A teen in Nigeria had his 10-year sentence for a blasphemy conviction overturned, according to his lawyer.
Nigeria teen had his blasphemy conviction overturned on appeal
Omar Farouq's sentence was set aside by the Kano State High Court's appellate division because he did not have any legal representation during his first trial, Kola Alapinni, Omar's counsel, told CNN.
In August 2020, a Sharia court in Kano State convicted the teen and sentenced him to ten years in prison after being accused of blasphemy toward Allah in an argument with a friend.
After being in captivity for more than five months without having any access to his family or lawyer, the Nigeria teen will finally be released on Monday. The Sharia court judgment that was nullified described Omar as a 17-year-old. But Alapinni claimed his client is 13.
Farouq's mother fled to a neighboring town after mobs descended on their home due to his arrest, Alapinnin said. "We now need to arrange a safe passage for Omar. His life is in danger in Kano and it will never be the same."
In a tweet, the Auschwitz Memorial in Poland offered fundraising to pay for the Nigeria teen's education, saying that "we are all part of one humanity."
Before or during his trial, he could not have legal representation in contravention of Nigerian citizens' constitutional rights, Omar's lawyer said. On August 10, 2020, the teen was convicted for allegedly making a blasphemous statement against Mohammed.
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Nigeria teen's sentence sparked wide international outrage
Another blasphemy conviction saw Yahala Sharif-Aminu, an assistant at a music studio, sentenced to death on the same day. He was hung after being convicted of blaspheming in a song he shared on WhatsApp in late February last year. The recording was widely shared that caused mass outrage in a highly conservative majority Muslim community, as per the previous reports.
During the hearing on January 21, presiding judge Justice Nasiru Saminu ordered a retailing of Sharif-Aminu's case because the proceedings at the lower court were characterized by irregularities, while Umar Farouk's sentence was overturned because he is still a minor. Kano state authorities are considering appealing against the ruling, BBC reported.
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According to The Nigeria Voice, the sentences drew international condemnation, including the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, UNICEF's country representative in Nigeria, UN human rights experts, and the director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland, Dr. Piotr Cywinski. Piotr has offered to serve Omar Farouk's sentence and 119 volunteers who would serve a month in prison.
Under Section 204 of the country's Criminal Code, Blasphemy is prohibited, while Nigeria's constitution ensures the right to freedom of religion or belief. Besides, since 1999, 12 of Nigeria's 36 states enacted the Shari'a penal code.
The constitution transformed Islam into a state religion in defiance of the federal law and empowering Shari'a courts to implement such sentences as amputation or execution for crimes like adultery and blasphemy.
