The First Step Forum (FSF) presented the 2026 Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award to Rhoda Jatau, a Christian mother of five from Nigeria, in recognition of her extraordinary courage and endurance after being imprisoned on blasphemy charges for sharing a video condemning mob violence.

Each year, the Forum honours an individual who has shown unwavering commitment to defending freedom of religion or belief and other human rights. The award is named for Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s first Christian federal minister, who was assassinated in March 2011 after criticizing his country’s blasphemy laws.

All Evangelical Focus news and opinion, on your WhatsApp

“Today, we gather to honour a woman who embodies that exact spirit of fearless advocacy, quiet strength, and incredible faith,” said Marc Jost, executive director of FSF, in presenting the award to Jatau at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

“Rhoda, you did not ask to be a hero,” he said. “You simply wanted to be a faithful mother, a neighbour, and a person of conscience. But when darkness demanded silence, your courage spoke volumes. You endured unjust imprisonment so that others might live free from fear.”

A story that moved the world

In May 2022, Deborah Yakubu, a young Christian university student in Nigeria, was murdered by a mob following allegations of blasphemy. Jatau allegedly shared a video on WhatsApp condemning the killing.

She was arrested and charged under blasphemy laws, along with cybercrime and religious disturbance, and faced up to five years in prison if convicted.

Jatau spent 19 months in prison, separated from her husband and five children. For long periods she was denied regular access to her family and legal counsel. She was granted bail in December 2023, and her trial continued for another year. On December 10, 2024, a judge in Bauchi State fully acquitted her of all charges.

Her case drew advocacy from human rights organizations, including ADF International, as well as UN experts and believers around the world.

A broader crisis

“Rhoda’s story is a story of personal victory, but it also shines a bright, piercing light on a broader crisis,” Jost said. “In Nigeria today, blasphemy laws continue to fuel mob violence, silence peaceful expression, and tear apart the social fabric of a nation.”

FSF chairwoman Eija-Riitta Korhola-Dunderfelt, who worked with Bhatti for five years, recalled the Pakistani minister of minorities affairs’ determination to change the nation’s blasphemy laws despite the fatwas and threats against him.

“Even if I die, the law will remain,” Bhatti told her, “and it will change the lives of millions.”

She told attendees, “He said he had asked God for only one grace: that he would not die of old age or sickness, but that he would die for the sake of Jesus.”

Jost closed the presentation by invoking Bhatti’s own words: “I want to live for Christ and I want to die for him.”

He told Jatau, “Through your endurance, your grace, and your unwavering faith, you have shown us what it means to live out that truth in our time.”

“My experience in prison was not an easy one,” said Jatau during the award ceremony. “For over a year I did not see my children. I could only hear about them.”

“What was at stake was her freedom, and also the precedent,” said her lawyer, Joseph Bata Danboyi.

“At least there is now a precedent that there was once a blasphemy case in Bauchi that couldn’t be proved.”

Peter Bhatti presented Jatau with “Blood & Water,” a new graphic novel honoring the legacy of his martyred brother, Shahbaz. “We admire your courageous steps on religious freedom,” he told her.

“You are from Nigeria, but in Christ we are brother and sister. We want to encourage you in this field to not feel alone, ask for help, and don’t give up anytime.”

About the Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award

The award honors the legacy of Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian lawyer and cabinet minister in Pakistan who gave his life defending religious minorities and speaking truth to power.

Past winners of the award include Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (2013), Pope Francis (2014), Russ Martin Stendal of Colombia (2017), Gao Zhisheng of China (2018), the Leah Foundation of Nigeria (2019), and Bishop Shimoun Daniel (2023) and Valentine Hannan (2025) of Syria.

About First Step Forum

First Step Forum is a global network of ambassadors, members of parliament, journalists, advocates, and former prime ministers whose mission since 2002 is to build bridges, foster peaceful coexistence, and take the first critical steps toward reconciliation and religious freedom in countries where it is invited to do so.