The European Parliament has passed an urgent resolution calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim singer sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy in Kano State, Nigeria. The resolution, passed under RC-B10-0101/2025, also demands the repeal of blasphemy laws at both federal and state levels, citing violations of human rights and Nigeria's international obligations. Sharif-Aminu has been imprisoned since March 2020, after being convicted of blasphemy by an upper Sharia court in Kano. Although his conviction was overturned in 2021, he remains incarcerated pending a retrial.
The European Parliament also highlighted the ongoing cases of other individuals facing similar charges, including Abdulazeez Inyass, Abduljabar Nasiru Kabara, and Isma’ila Sani Isah, who are all under threat of death sentences in Kano and Sokoto States. The EU's resolution stresses that blasphemy laws are a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Nigeria is bound to uphold. It urges Nigeria to abolish the death penalty for blasphemy and take steps towards full abolition of capital punishment.
The resolution further condemns Nigeria's blasphemy laws for being in clear breach of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom and freedom of expression. The EU has called on the Nigerian government to ensure that federal, state, and Sharia law do not infringe on these constitutional rights. Kola Alapinni, an international human rights lawyer, celebrated the overwhelming passage of the resolution in the EU Parliament, expressing hope that this would pressure Nigerian authorities to comply with international human rights standards and protect the rights of its citizens.