The rights specialists mentioned Nigeria ought to overturn the loss of life sentence (Representational)
Geneva:
UN rights specialists requested Nigeria on Monday to launch a 22-year-old singer who was condemned to loss of life over an allegedly blasphemous track, and mentioned the sentence broke worldwide legislation.
Yahaya Aminu Sharif was sentenced final month by a sharia courtroom in Kano, the industrial hub of Nigeria’s largely Muslim north, after he carried out the track and shared it on WhatsApp.
“Music shouldn’t be a criminal offense,” learn a joint assertion from the group of UN rapporteurs.
“Utility of the loss of life penalty for inventive expression or for sharing a track on the web is a flagrant violation of worldwide human rights legislation, in addition to of Nigeria’s structure,” mentioned Karima Bennoune, particular rapporteur on cultural rights.
The rights specialists mentioned Nigeria ought to overturn the loss of life sentence and assure the singer’s security whereas he launched an enchantment. Protesters enraged by the track burned down Sharif’s household house on March four.
A spokesman for the Kano state judiciary which runs sharia courts alongside the civil courts mentioned the choice was taken with authorized backing, including that he was unaware of the enchantment.
“If we’re requested to launch him, it needs to be by authorized process,” mentioned spokesman Baba Jibo Ibrahim.
Kano’s justice system has been within the highlight since a sharia courtroom additionally sentenced a 13-year-old boy to 10 years in jail final month after he was accused of constructing blasphemous statements throughout an argument.
The pinnacle of Poland’s Auschwitz Memorial has written to Nigeria’s president asking him to pardon the boy, Omar Farouq, and providing to serve a part of the jail time period himself.
Kano’s sharia courts are lively, however loss of life sentences for blasphemy are uncommon and the latest, handed down in 2015 to 9 followers of the Tijani Muslim sect, have but to be carried out.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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