Lawal acquittal welcomed
2003-09-25 17:57
Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance has expressed relief at the acquittal of Amina Lawal, a Nigerian single mother who under Shari'ah law had faced death by stoning for having a child out of wedlock.
In a statement on Thursday, DA chairperson Joe Seremane said: "The death penalty for adultery goes against any reasonable person's sense of justice, while death by stoning is a degrading human treatment.
"It is contrary to international treaties against torture, which Nigeria has ratified, and it is contrary to the principles of human rights and the rule of law that we seek to advance and uphold in Africa."
Meanwhile, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) said it joined millions of progressive people in South Africa, Africa and the world, in celebrating the acquittal.
Spokesperson Molontoa Molaba said: "The Appeals committee that was supposed to either uphold the stoning to death of Amina or reject the sentence has rejected it.
"In part this is because of the mounting pressure on the Muslim judiciary, Nigeria and President Abasanjo to save Lawal's life. We had called on the President of South Africa to intervene and he did," Molaba said.
"The ANC Woman's League mounted a struggle. We thank the ANCWL, the President of South Africa and all those who protested against this outrage."
Molaba said the court decision represented a very important step in the struggle for women's liberation in Africa.
"We call on President Abasanjo to lead a struggle to rid Nigeria of other Shari'ah laws.
"These laws pose a threat to Nigeria's peaceful development and cultural diversity. If not, Nigeria will never have peace, social justice and political stability," Molaba said.
- SAPA