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Posted on 08/03/2002 5:51:52 PM PDT by aculeus
This woman is about to be stoned to death for having a baby.
f her appeal, which starts tomorrow, fails she will be executed by being buried up to her waist and stoned until she dies.
Amina Lawal, 30, was sentenced to death by stoning by a regional court in Nigeria for having a child outside marriage.
She was unmarried when she became pregnant. Local villagers had her arrested and dragged before a court in Katsina Province charged with adultery.
She had no legal defence as she faced the panel of male judges. Human rights group Amnesty International said she didn't even know the nature of the charges against her and the consequences of being found guilty.
Under local law, admitting to having a baby amounts to a confession to adultery, a capital offence.
The man identified as the father of the baby girl was released. The court said there was not enough evidence against him.
For the father to be convicted, he has to either confess or four other men must testify they witnessed the adultery.
Amina was born into a very poor rural family. Like most girls in the region she was married off by her family when she was just 14. She suffered the same fate as many girls - the man divorced her as she got older.
Agence France-Press managed to speak to Amina as she waited for her appeal. She said her main worry was the strain the case was putting on her parents and what would happen to her baby, Wasila, if she was executed.
Human rights groups in Nigeria have been campaigning against the increasing number of cruel, inhumane and discriminatory sentences being introduced in courts in northern Nigeria.
Fundamentalist Muslims have gained power in northern Nigeria and forced in a series of drastic Shari'a laws.
Under the Shari'a laws in Katsina Province, the death penalty can be imposed on men or women who have sex outside marriage.
The Nigerian Government is opposed to the province's strict laws and the Federal Justice Minister has protested to the Katsina authorities, saying the death penalty for adultery breached the national constitution.
But a spokesman for the Katsina Government, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the governor would not interfere in the appeal process.
He said if the appeal was turned down, Amina would be executed.
"If the appeal court confirms her as guilty, she will be executed," Mr Abdullahi said.
But the court will delay the stoning until she has weaned her baby.
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And, of course, they don't believe in DNA. God rest her soul.
Islam is the religion of peace.
Islam is the religion of peace.
Islam is the religion of peace.
Dang compassionate bunch aren't they? Islam is the religon of peace.
prisoner6
Another horrendous rape is reported in South Africa, this time of a baby girl just one week old. In this country, there is a widespread belief that AIDS will be warded off by having sexual relations with the youngest possible partner.
The girl in question is in hospital, in a stable but critical situation, according to South African police sources. Witch doctors are blamed for spreading the notion that sexual relations with young partners will provide the perpetrator with a shield against AIDS.
There have been numerous similar cases in recent months in South Africa. Last year, there were 21,000 cases of child rape reported to police but this is said to be just the tip of the iceberg, since the vast majority of cases go unreported and only 9% of rape accusations result in a conviction
Another horrendous rape is reported in South Africa, this time of a baby girl just one week old. In this country, there is a widespread belief that AIDS will be warded off by having sexual relations with the youngest possible partner.
The girl in question is in hospital, in a stable but critical situation, according to South African police sources. Witch doctors are blamed for spreading the notion that sexual relations with young partners will provide the perpetrator with a shield against AIDS.
There have been numerous similar cases in recent months in South Africa. Last year, there were 21,000 cases of child rape reported to police but this is said to be just the tip of the iceberg, since the vast majority of cases go unreported and only 9% of rape accusations result in a conviction
We believe that people who smoke dope are bad for society, and justify locking them up in jail due to that belief.
A society that produces massive numbers of children without fathers can not survive over the long run. A society that smokes dope in their own homes may, or may not, be able to survive over the long run.
Maybe they are right and we are wrong. Or maybe we both are. Dunno.
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