Spotlight on Mubarak Bala to mark Human Rights Day and 2 years of Humanists Australia
"Human Rights Day marks the second anniversary of the launch of Humanists Australia, which we celebrated with community dinners and a series of talks. Please help Humanists Australia support Mubarak Bala and others like him, as part of the third of our four goals: to support people who are persecuted for their humanist beliefs. Find all four goals at https://www.humanistsaustralia.org/ourmission.”
- Mary-Anne Cosgrove, Humanists Australia Chair
Humanists Australia strongly advocates all humans are entitled to basic justice, protection, and human rights; but across the world we know these rights aren’t afforded equally to everyone. We continue to support calls for countries to commit to a minimum set of common political values on human rights, democracy, and environmental protection, and the establishment of an international union of member states which upholds these standards to drive greater global action on human rights in delivering justice for all.
In marking Human Rights Day 2022 and the 2nd anniversary of the launch of Humanists Australia this coming Saturday 10 December, Humanists Australia is again shining the spotlight on the case of Mubarak Bala – atheist, fellow humanist and the President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria who is currently serving a 24-year prison sentence in connection with a series of Facebook posts that some deemed to be ‘blasphemous’ and ‘likely to cause a public disturbance’. To date, Humanists Australia has added our voice to the chorus of 48 humanist organisations from across the globe and 33 notable humanist individuals based in the UK, organised by Humanists International. Humanists Australia and our affiliate Humanists Victoria are both part of the campaign and have donated and been writing to officials in Nigeria, African Union, UN, and Australia, seeking support for Mubarak Bala's human rights and fair treatment.
With Human Union and support for global action on human rights as one of Humanists Australia’s core areas of campaigning, we encourage our members and subscribers to consider ways to understand and add your voice to this critical campaign by:
Viewing the new documentary released last month by BBC Africa which highlights Mubarak’s plight and challenges faced by humanists and atheists more generally in Nigeria.
Contributing a donation towards Mubarak Bala’s legal fund. The money raised by this Humanists International campaign will be used to help pay for Mubarak's legal team and the associated campaigning costs.
Signing Humanists International’s open letter to the Governor of Kano State.
Sharing Mubarak Bala’s story and the above resources with others you know, using the hashtag #FreeMubarakBala to help raise awareness.
Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. – Vincent Van Gogh
