The United States has demanded the release of Sufi singer Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, who is facing execution on death row over blasphemy charges.
Hon. Riley Barnes disclosed this during a hearing organised
by the Africa Subcommittee of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee.
According to Barnes, the US government was engaging the
Nigerian authorities and reaching out to Sharif-Aminu’s relatives while urging
Nigeria to move away from its blasphemy laws.
He, however, stressed that the US government’s primary
objective remained to end attacks and violence in Nigeria.
“We are actively pressing the Nigerian government and
calling the relatives of Sufi singer Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, who sits on death row
over blasphemy charges.
“We continue to urge the government to cease enforcing
blasphemy laws, but our chief goal remains to end the attacks and violence.
“The US has made it clear that the measure of success will
be fewer attacks and less violence,” Barnes said.
Yahaya Sharif-Aminu was arrested in March 2020 after sharing
song lyrics he had written via WhatsApp.
His lyrics were deemed “blasphemous,” and a mob subsequently
burned down his family’s home.
He was convicted by a Sharia court in Kano State in a rushed
trial without legal representation, and sentenced to death by hanging in August
2020.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com