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| Nigeria atheist Bala 'deemed mentally ill in Kano state' | |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| A Nigerian man has been sent to a mental institute in Kano state after he declared that he did not believe in God, according to a humanist charity. | A Nigerian man has been sent to a mental institute in Kano state after he declared that he did not believe in God, according to a humanist charity. |
| Mubarak Bala, 29, is said to have been forcibly medicated by his Muslim relatives, despite being given a clean bill of health by a doctor. | Mubarak Bala, 29, is said to have been forcibly medicated by his Muslim relatives, despite being given a clean bill of health by a doctor. |
| The International Humanist and Ethical Union say a Lagos-based group has asked a lawyer to take up his case. | The International Humanist and Ethical Union say a Lagos-based group has asked a lawyer to take up his case. |
| Kano is a mainly Muslim state and adopted Sharia (Islamic law) in 2000. | Kano is a mainly Muslim state and adopted Sharia (Islamic law) in 2000. |
| The IHEU says that when Mr Bala told relatives he did not believe in God, they asked a doctor if he was mentally ill. | The IHEU says that when Mr Bala told relatives he did not believe in God, they asked a doctor if he was mentally ill. |
| Despite being told that he was not unwell, Mr Bala's family then went to a second doctor, who declared that his atheism was a side-effect of suffering a personality change, the group says. | Despite being told that he was not unwell, Mr Bala's family then went to a second doctor, who declared that his atheism was a side-effect of suffering a personality change, the group says. |
| Mr Bala, a chemical engineering graduate, was forcibly committed to a mental institution, but was able to contact activists using a smuggled phone. | Mr Bala, a chemical engineering graduate, was forcibly committed to a mental institution, but was able to contact activists using a smuggled phone. |
| IHEU spokesman Bob Churchill said the group was concerned about his "deteriorating condition" and called for his "swift release". | IHEU spokesman Bob Churchill said the group was concerned about his "deteriorating condition" and called for his "swift release". |