Some Good News!
Some Good News!
We are very pleased to announce that
a Sharia Court in Nigeria overturned
Amina Lawal's death sentence earlier today.
Thanks to all of you who took action
on this case. Your efforts have made
a difference!
According to her defense lawyer, Amina Lawal,
who had been sentenced to death by stoning
because she had a child outside of marriage,
was freed on the grounds that neither the
conviction nor the confession were legally valid.
'Amnesty International is thrilled that
Amina Lawal's life has been spared,'
commented Curt Goering, Senior Deputy
Executive Director for Amnesty International USA (AIUSA).
'We congratulate the millions of activists
in Nigeria and around the world who voiced
their opposition to such a cruel and unusual
punishment. This verdict is a reaffirmation
of the power of a grassroots movement.
We will continue our work against the death
penalty in Nigeria in the hopes that others
will not have to endure such a harrowing ordeal.'
ABOUT AMINA LAWAL
In March 2002, Amina Lawal was sentenced to
stoning to death by a Sharia court in Bakori
in the Katsina State of northern Nigeria.
She had allegedly confessed to having had a
child while divorced. Under the new Sharia-based
penal code, which applies to Muslims only,
pregnancy outside of marriage constitutes
sufficient evidence for a woman to be
convicted of adultery.
In November 2002, The Oprah Winfrey Show
aired a special segment on Amina Lawal's case.
The segment kicked off a joint venture between
The Oprah Winfrey Show and Amnesty International USA
to send one million messages to the Nigerian
government protesting the sentence.
In the end, more than 1.2 million messages were delivered.
We are very pleased to announce that
a Sharia Court in Nigeria overturned
Amina Lawal's death sentence earlier today.
Thanks to all of you who took action
on this case. Your efforts have made
a difference!
According to her defense lawyer, Amina Lawal,
who had been sentenced to death by stoning
because she had a child outside of marriage,
was freed on the grounds that neither the
conviction nor the confession were legally valid.
'Amnesty International is thrilled that
Amina Lawal's life has been spared,'
commented Curt Goering, Senior Deputy
Executive Director for Amnesty International USA (AIUSA).
'We congratulate the millions of activists
in Nigeria and around the world who voiced
their opposition to such a cruel and unusual
punishment. This verdict is a reaffirmation
of the power of a grassroots movement.
We will continue our work against the death
penalty in Nigeria in the hopes that others
will not have to endure such a harrowing ordeal.'
ABOUT AMINA LAWAL
In March 2002, Amina Lawal was sentenced to
stoning to death by a Sharia court in Bakori
in the Katsina State of northern Nigeria.
She had allegedly confessed to having had a
child while divorced. Under the new Sharia-based
penal code, which applies to Muslims only,
pregnancy outside of marriage constitutes
sufficient evidence for a woman to be
convicted of adultery.
In November 2002, The Oprah Winfrey Show
aired a special segment on Amina Lawal's case.
The segment kicked off a joint venture between
The Oprah Winfrey Show and Amnesty International USA
to send one million messages to the Nigerian
government protesting the sentence.
In the end, more than 1.2 million messages were delivered.
