A Nigerian Christian mother who spent 19 months in prison on blasphemy-related charges before being acquitted has received the 2026 Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award.
Rhoda Jatau, a mother of five, accepted the honor presented by the First Step Forum at a ceremony at the Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland on Friday (Oct. 16). Her prosecution, which began after she allegedly shared a video condemning the mob killing of a Christian student, drew calls for her release from human rights groups and U.N. experts.
The award is presented each year to a person the forum regards as committed to defending freedom of religion or belief. It is named for Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's first Christian federal minister, who was assassinated in March 2011 after opposing his country's blasphemy laws.
Arrest and acquittal
Jatau's case dates to May 2022, when Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a Christian student, was killed by a mob in Nigeria following accusations of blasphemy. Jatau was accused of circulating a WhatsApp video that condemned the killing.
Prosecutors charged her with blasphemy along with cybercrime and religious disturbance offenses. According to First Step Forum, she faced up to five years in prison and was frequently denied regular contact with her husband, children and lawyers while in custody.
She was granted bail in December 2023, shortly after a judge refused to dismiss the case against her. Her trial ran for another year before a judge in Bauchi State acquitted her of all charges on Dec. 10, 2024.
"My experience in prison was not an easy one," Jatau said at the ceremony. "For over a year I did not see my children. I could only hear about them."
Her lawyer, Joseph Bata Danboyi, also spoke. "What was at stake was her freedom, and also the precedent," he said. "At least there is now a precedent that there was once a blasphemy case in Bauchi that couldn't be proved."
'Blasphemy laws continue to fuel mob violence'
Marc Jost, executive director of First Step Forum, presented the award. Addressing Jatau, he said: "You simply wanted to be a faithful mother, a neighbor, and a person of conscience. But when darkness demanded silence, your courage spoke volumes."
Jost, who is also a member of Switzerland's National Council, the lower house of parliament, said her case reflected a wider problem in the country. "In Nigeria today, blasphemy laws continue to fuel mob violence, silence peaceful expression, and tear apart the social fabric of a nation," he said.
Blasphemy is an offense under the penal code that applies in Nigeria's northern states, and a number of those states also enforce Islamic criminal codes.
Bhatti's legacy
Eija-Riitta Korhola-Dunderfelt, the forum's chairwoman, said she worked with Bhatti for five years while he served as Pakistan's minister for minorities affairs. She recalled that he pressed for changes to the blasphemy laws despite fatwas and threats against his life.
"Even if I die, the law will remain," she quoted him as telling her, "and it will change the lives of millions."
Korhola-Dunderfelt said Bhatti had told her he asked God for a single grace: that he would die "for the sake of Jesus" rather than from old age or illness.
Peter Bhatti, the slain minister's brother, gave Jatau a copy of "Blood & Water," a new graphic novel about Shahbaz Bhatti's life.
"You are from Nigeria, but in Christ we are brother and sister," he told her. "We want to encourage you in this field to not feel alone, ask for help, and don't give up anytime."
Earlier recipients of the award, according to the forum, include Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi in 2013, Pope Francis in 2014, Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng in 2018, the Leah Foundation of Nigeria in 2019, and Syrian recipients Bishop Shimoun Daniel in 2023 and Valentine Hannan in 2025.
First Step Forum describes itself as a network of ambassadors, lawmakers, journalists, advocates and former prime ministers. Since 2002, it has worked on reconciliation and religious freedom in countries that invite its involvement.
