The European Parliament has taken a decisive stance against Nigeria’s blasphemy laws, urging the immediate and unconditional release of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim singer currently facing a death sentence.
The resolution, passed under the designation RC-B10-0101/2025, not only calls for Sharif-Aminu’s release but also demands the abolition of blasphemy laws in Nigeria, citing the country’s violations of human rights.
An upper Sharia court in Kano convicted him in August 2020 and sentenced him to death by hanging. His conviction was overturned in January 2021, but he was ordered to undergo a retrial.
Despite appealing his case to Nigeria’s Supreme Court in November 2022, Sharif-Aminu remains imprisoned.
On August 30, 2024, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared Sharif-Aminu’s imprisonment a violation of multiple articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The UN urged Nigerian authorities to release him immediately and provide compensation.
The EU Parliament’s resolution criticises Nigeria’s blasphemy laws, argued that they contradict the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and international human rights agreements.
The resolution notes that “blasphemy laws are in clear breach of international human rights obligations, in particular the ICCPR to which Nigeria is party, and contrary to the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom and freedom of expression”.
The EU urged “the Nigerian authorities to uphold human rights throughout the country by ensuring that federal, state and Sharia law do not deny Nigerians protection under the national Constitution and international conventions; urges the Nigerian authorities to repeal the blasphemy laws at federal and state level”.
It noted the international efforts to abolish the death penalty and “urges Nigeria to immediately withdraw the use of capital punishment for blasphemy and take steps towards full abolition”.
It also urged “the government of Nigeria to combat the impunity surrounding blasphemy accusations by penalising the purveyors of false allegations and bringing perpetrators of violence to justice, and thereby strengthening rule of law”.
It called for the “EU and its Member States to raise individual cases, human rights concerns and blasphemy laws with the Nigerian authorities”.
It instructed its “President to forward this resolution to the Parliament and Government of Nigeria”.
Meanwhile, Kola Alapinni, an international human rights lawyer and U.S. Secretary of State awardee for International Religious Freedom, stated on his X handle on Thursday: “Mission accomplished. It sailed through Parliament overwhelmingly—almost no dissenting voice.”
“Mission accomplished! The EU Parliament in Strasbourg just passed a second urgent resolution (RC-B10-0101/2025) on Yahaya Sharif-Aminu (The Kano Singer).
‘Urging the Nigerian authorities to ensure that Federal, State and Sharia Laws do not deny Nigerians the protections afforded by the national constitution and international conventions;…. It sailed through Parliament overwhelmingly. Almost no dissenting voice,” he added.
Credit: Saharareporters
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