Nigerian Woman Avoids Stoning Death

AP | 9/25/03

[kattracks]

KATSINA, Nigeria, Sep 25, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- A single mother facing death by stoning for adultery was acquitted Thursday by an Islamic appeals court in northern Nigeria in a case that sparked international outrage.

A five-judge panel rejected Amina Lawall's conviction in March 2002, saying she was not given "ample opportunity to defend herself."

[Lil'freeper]

Wonderful news- thanks for posting this.

[Ronin]

Sanity prevails.

I am actually surprised at how relieved I am.

I think what offended me most was that the "male" half of this crime (I call him a male because he is in no sense a man) was allowed to skate simply by putting his hand on the Quran and swearing he was not responsible.

This, as if DNA testing had not been invented or that given the international publicity of this case, a test could not have been made.

If there are any Islamics lurking on this thread HEED THIS!!!

THIS!!!

This, this absolute contempt for what is obvious and can be easily proven...

THIS!!!

This absolutely dispicable contempt you have for the woman of the world.

THIS!!!

Is why we will always fight you. And why you will always lose.

We, the free men of America, do not hate our women. They are not "ours" to hate. They are not our toys, our vassels or our slaves. They are our partners and our equals. It took some of us a long time to learn that lesson, but learn it we have.

Islam will be humbled. But, it will not be humbled by American men. It will be humbled by free men and women in many nations -- working together.

You don't have a prayer.

[Creed67]

I've been following her case since last year - Justice prevails! Thank you for posting this. It made my day.

[Creed67]

I've been following her case since last year - Justice prevails! Thank you for posting this. It made my day.

[Creed67]

I've been following her case since last year - Justice prevails! Thank you for posting this. It made my day.

[MWS]

Thank you for posting this. I had been worried about this woman and have been wondering what would happen to her. This is great news!

[MWS]

Thank you for posting this. I had been worried about this woman and have been wondering what would happen to her. This is great news!

[Ready4Freddy]

How long do you think it'll be before a crowd decides to stone her anyway?

[freeangel]

So, I wonder how many other were stoned because they did not get worldwide publicity.

[MEG33]

Very astute .A legitimate worry when"honor" killings occur.

[wysiwyg]

Stoning for adultry, hand amputation for petty theft... I wonder what the punishment for Internet scams is?

[Luke Skyfreeper]

Wonderful news (as long as she escapes death by mob). I also had been worried about this woman.

At the same time, I feel like saying, "How very generous of them."

[Puppage]

facing death by stoning for adultery

Nigeria to bill klinton, come in bill klinton.

[wysiwyg]

From the Houston Chronic

---

Sept. 25, 2003, 6:28AM

Nigerian court rejects single mom's stoning

Associated Press

KATSINA, Nigeria -  A single mother facing death by stoning for adultery had her sentence overturned by an Islamic appeals court today in a case that has sparked international outrage.

A five-judge panel rejected the sentence against 32-year-old Amina Lawal, saying she was not caught in the act of adultery and she was not given "ample opportunity to defend herself."

If the sentence had been carried out, the single mother would have been the first woman stoned to death since 12 northern states first began adopting strict Islamic law, or Shariah, in 1999.

Lawal, wrapped in a light orange veil, sat on a stone bench, eyes downcast, cradling her nearly 2-year-old daughter as the ruling was announced at the Katsina State Shariah Court of Appeals under heavy security.

The judges read their verdict, which is final, inside a tiny blue-walled courtroom equipped with ceiling fans to ease the sweltering heat.

Lawal was first convicted in March 2002 following the birth of her daughter two years after she divorced her husband. Judges rejected Lawal's first appeal in August 2002.

In an hour-long hearing, the panel said Lawal was not caught in the act of adultery and wasn't given enough time to understand the charges against her.

It also cited procedural errors, including that only one judge was present at her initial conviction in March 2002, instead of the three required under Islamic law.

The case had drawn sharp criticism from international rights groups. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo's government and world leaders had called for Lawal to be spared. Last week, Brazil even offered her asylum.

Few believed the brutal sentence -- in which Lawal would have been buried up to her neck in sand and executed by stoning -- would ever be carried out.

Francois Cantier, a lawyer with French group Avocats Sans Frontieres, or Lawyers Without Borders, said the punishment was contrary to the Nigerian constitution and would violate international treaties against torture.

Prosecutors argued Lawal's child was living proof she committed a crime under Shariah.

But lead defense lawyer Aliyu Musa Yawuri said that under some interpretations of Shariah, babies can remain in gestation in a mother's womb for five years, opening the possibility her ex-husband could have fathered the child.

He also argued Lawal's case should be dropped because no lawyers were present when she first testified that she had slept with another man following her divorce. Yawuri said Lawal -- a poor, uneducated woman from a rural family -- didn't understand the charges against her at the time.

Lawal has identified her alleged sexual partner, Yahaya Mohammed, and said he promised to marry her. Mohammed, who would also have faced a stoning sentence, has denied any impropriety and has been acquitted for lack of evidence.

Lawal is the second Nigerian woman to be condemned to death for having sex out of wedlock under Islamic law. The first woman, Safiya Hussaini, had her sentence overturned in March on her first appeal in the city of Sokoto.

The introduction of strict Islamic law in a dozen northern states triggered violent clashes between Christians and Muslims that killed thousands.

Four other people have been sentenced to stoning deaths. Two have been acquitted, and two others -- a pair of lovers -- are awaiting rulings.

Also under Shariah punishments, one man has been hanged for killing a woman and her two children. Muslim authorities have amputated the hands of three others for stealing respectively, a goat, a cow and three bicycles.

Despite such harsh sentences, the majority of Muslims in the predominantly Islamic north have welcomed the implementation of Shariah, saying it's a key part of their religion and discourages crime.

[wizardoz]

You are trying to reason with drooling psychotics. Stop! Stop before you go mad, man!

[prairiebreeze]

If the sentence had been carried out, the single mother would have been the first woman stoned to death since 12 northern states first began adopting strict Islamic law, or Shariah, in 1999.

Poor decision. The one made in 1999 of course.

Prairie

[alwaysconservative]

Applause for your brilliant post!! You got it exactly right.

[alwaysconservative]

But lead defense lawyer Aliyu Musa Yawuri said that under some interpretations of Shariah, babies can remain in gestation in a mother's womb for five years, opening the possibility her ex-husband could have fathered the child.

I know I wasn't a biology major, but: say wha....????

[LizardQueen]

But lead defense lawyer Aliyu Musa Yawuri said that under some interpretations of Shariah, babies can remain in gestation in a mother's womb for five years, opening the possibility her ex-husband could have fathered the child.

This is unreal - these people are Neanderthals. The last significant advance they made was the invention of the number zero.And how long ago was that?