Who
is Amina Lawal? Amina Lawal - Another woman facing death by stoning Back in October 2001, 35-year old Safiya Hussaini was condemned to death, by stoning, for allegedly committing adultery. International outcry FACILITATED BY Women's Rights Watch- Nigeria who drew worldattention to Safiya's plight and campaigned extensively in the Nigeria media and on the internet helped save her life; she was acquitted on technical grounds by an appeal court. Now 30-year old Amina Lawal (right)faces the same death sentence. Amina Lawal was sentenced to death by stoning by a Regional Court in Katsina State, Nigeria for having a child outside marriage. Her sentence was announced on 23 March 2002, three days before the day of Safiya's acquittal. Amina Lawal's Case - Her Trial and Sentence When unmarried, Amina became pregnant. Local villagers had her arrested and she was brought before a Sharia Area Court where she was charged with the crime of adultery. Like Safiya, she had no legal representation and there are serious questions about whether the nature of the charges was adequately explained to her. Under the Katsina
State Sharia criminal Law, admitting to having a baby amounts to
a confession to the crime of adultery. As in the case of Safiya
Hussaini, the man identified as Amina's partner - the alleged father
of her baby daughter - was released. The court said there was insufficient
evidence against him. For him to be convicted, he must either confess, or 4 other men must testify that they witnessed the adultery. With the help of a Nigerian women's rights group, Amina has appealed against the sentence. After two adjournments, the appeal hearing will now resume on Monday 8 July 2002. Victim of Poverty - Amina comes from an impoverished background. She was married in her early teens as is the custom of most parts of Northern Nigeria, only to be divorced at a later stage and left to raise their children by themselves.The softly spoken and largely unschooled Lawal told AFP that her main worries were the strain the case was putting on her parents and what would happen to her baby daughter Wasila if she is put to death. Women's Rights Watch campaigns against Chilld marriage or forced marriage and regards it as a violation of the rights of the child and a harmful cultural practice.Most child brides become victims VVF a condition resulting from teenage pregnancy.The victims are usually abandond by their husbands and families and they become destitutes.Recently UNFPA has initiated a programme of action to help these victims of harmful cultural practices. Women's and Human Rights organisations in Nigeria have already highlighted the emerging pattern of people from poor backgrounds - particularly women - being the victims of cruel, inhumane and discriminatory sentences introduced by Regional laws in the states of northern Nigeria. Under Consttution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Amina has the right to have her life and personal dignity respected. This right is also recognised by all the international and regional human rights declarations and conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory. Furthermore the Costitution provide that there shall be no state religion, thus since her independence from Great Britain in 1960,Nigeria has been a secular state even though it has been largely ruled by Muslims.Women's Rights Watch is oppose to Nigeria been turned to an Islamic state because its 120 million citizens have various religious beliefs ranging from christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion. We affirm that once a religious tenet becomes state law, it is binding on every resident of the State irrespective of religious belies.Consequently, in the Sharia implementing States, 12 out of our 36, alchohol ha been banned and some hotels belonging to non muslims closed down. There has been amputation for the offence of stealing previously punished by imprisonment. Christian nurses have been dismissed for refusing to wear a sharia compliant uniform. . A week before Safiya's acquittal the Federal Minister of Justice wrote to Regional authorities to declare that these penalties are a contravention of the Nigerian constitution. A spokesperson for the Katsina State authorities, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said that the Governor would not intefere in the appeal process, and predicted that if the appeal was turned down, Amina Lawal would be executed. "If the appeal court confirms her as guilty, she will be executed," he said. This will entail burying Amina up to her waist and stoning her until she is dead. What can you do to help ? At this critical stage, it is of crucial importance to build on the successful campaign that saved Safiya. It is vital that the Nigerian Federal Government is given support to fulfil its human rights commitments. People from all round the world can play their part in encouraging Nigeria to do the right thing: to end inhumane and cruel sentences in its territory and to ensure human rights for all Nigerians. You can help make a difference by encouraging the Nigerian government to focus on delivering its pledges to its own people and to the international community by writing to the Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo at public@nopa.net and sign our petition to the Attorney General of Nigeria urging him to seek a judicial intepretation of the constitutionality of the Sharia Criminal Code in the Supreme Court of Nigeia. Nogi Imoukhuede
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