ANC women off to save Amina

2003-09-23 10:27

Johannesburg - An African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) delegation is scheduled to depart for Nigeria at 14:00 on Tuesday as part of the organisation's campaign to save Amina Lawal, said the ANC Youth League (ANCYL).

Lawal, 31, is a Nigerian citizen facing death by stoning for having a baby outside wedlock.

ANCYL spokesperson Khulekani Ntshangase said the delegation, would be led by ANCWL president Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Gauteng safety and liaison MEC Nomvula Mokonyane.

He said: "The plight of Lawal is a case which represents the suffering of millions of women on the continent and around the globe.

"While we respect Nigeria's sovereignty, we think some of their laws are backwards and are abusive to women's rights, which are entrenched in the African Union's constitution."

Ntshangase said a Southern Africa Development Community women's delegation would join the ANCWL in Nigeria this week.

Lawal was sentenced in March last year under Islamic law to be stoned to death for having a baby two years after getting divorced.

She brought her appeal to an Islamic court in the northern city of Katsina on August 28 and the court adjourned its decision on the appeal until September 25.

- SAPA