13-year-old Omar Farouk was prosecuted for swearing in an argument with a friend • UNICEF condemned the decision • In addition, a musician who "desecrated the holiness of God" was sentenced to death
Praying in a mosque in the Nigerian city of Lagos
Photography:
Reuters - Archive
The trial of 13-year-old Omar Farouk, who was convicted in Islamic (Sharia) law in the state of Kano in northwestern Nigeria, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The verdict came after he was accused of speaking rudely about the Prophet Muhammad during an argument with a friend - CNN reports.
UNICEF, which works around the world to protect children's rights, condemned the decision.
His sentence was handed down on August 10 by the same court that imposed the death penalty by hanging on local musician Yahya Sharif-Amino, who published a song that "desecrated the holiness of the Prophet Muhammad."
Desecration of Muhammad and statements condemning Islam are considered by Muslims to be a serious offense, punishable by flogging and amputation - and even the death penalty.
Farouk was tried as an adult because he had reached adolescence, and was considered responsible for his actions under Islamic law.
His lawyer, Cola Alpine, claimed that the punishment violated the African Convention on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Nigerian Constitution.
The attorney noted that an appeal was filed against the determination of the sharia on behalf of the boy on September 7th.
Alpini told CNN that he came across Farouk's case by accident, while dealing with the affairs of Sheriff-Amino.
"We found out they were convicted that day by the same judge and in the same court - for the same offense," he said.
The lawyer said Farouk's mother fled to a nearby country due to the arrival of masses at their home after his arrest.
"Everyone here is afraid to talk and is afraid of retaliation," he said.
Kano State, one of the 36 states that make up Nigeria, is run in light of Sharia law alongside secular law.
CNN asked for the response of the governor of the Keno state, but this was not received by the time the article was published.
UNICEF called on the Nigerian government and the governor of Kano to reconsider the details of the case, saying through their representative Peter Hawkins: Omar Farouk - be protected. "