Christian mom of 5 acquitted of blasphemy charges in Nigeria after yearslong ordeal
After a two-and-a-half-year legal battle that saw her imprisoned for 19 months in Nigeria, Rhoda Jatau, a Christian mother of five, has been fully acquitted of blasphemy charges.
A judge in Bauchi State court has acquitted Jatau, according to a Thursday announcement by the legal advocacy group ADF International, which supported her case.
She was charged under sections 114 (public disturbance) and 210 (religious insult) of the Bauchi State Penal Code and faced a potential five-year prison sentence if convicted.
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Jatau was initially detained in May 2022 on allegations of blasphemy after she shared a WhatsApp video condemning the lynching of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a Nigerian university student who was brutally murdered and set on fire by her classmates for professing her Christian faith, said ADF International.
Throughout her imprisonment, Jatau endured repeated denials of bail and was held incommunicado, having limited access to legal counsel and family members during court appearances.
Her lawyers consistently argued that the prosecution had failed to establish the basic elements of the case against her, citing significant legal shortcomings in their approach.
"After a two-and-a-half-year ordeal, including 19 long months in prison, we are happy that Rhoda finally has been acquitted of any wrongdoing," stated the Nigerian ADF International allied lawyer who served as lead counsel on Jatau's case.
In December 2023, Jatau was granted bail and remained in an undisclosed location while her trial proceeded.
The final acquittal comes amid growing international pressure and advocacy from religious freedom organizations.
"We are thankful to God for Rhoda's full acquittal and an end to the ordeal she has endured for far too long," said Sean Nelson, legal counsel for ADF International. "No person should be punished for peaceful expression, and we are grateful that Rhoda Jatau has been fully acquitted."
Nelson stressed that "Rhoda should never have been arrested in the first place."
"We will continue to seek justice for Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria who are unjustly imprisoned and plagued by the draconian blasphemy laws," he declared.
In Nigeria, blasphemy laws are often used to target religious minorities. Advocates say blasphemy laws contribute to societal tensions in a country of more than 200 million people, nearly evenly split between Christians and Muslims.
In October 2023, United Nations experts sent a joint allegation letter to the Nigerian government, stating that blasphemy laws violate international human rights standards and pointing out the unjust nature of Jatau's detention.
ADF International said it is currently supporting the legal defense of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim musician who was sentenced to death by hanging for sharing song lyrics deemed "blasphemous" on WhatsApp.
Yahaya has been imprisoned for over four and a half years and is now appealing to the Supreme Court of Nigeria in hopes of overturning the death penalty imposed under the country's blasphemy laws.
