Mother uncertain of stoning fate

THIS is Amina Lawal.

Yesterday, an Islamic court in northern Nigeria adjourned for the second time an appeal hearing against the sentence of the mother-of-three.

The Sharia Appeal Court in Katsina put off to August 27 the appeal by the 33-year-old against her conviction by a lower Sharia court in March 2002.

Appeal court registrar Dalhat Abubakar said the hearing could not go ahead because there was not a quorum of judges as they are involved in the election.

Officials of Katsina State one of a dozen in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north to have adopted strict Islamic law, or Shariah have insisted the case go through the judicial appeals process despite requests by Nigeria's federal government that Lawal be freed.

Lawal, who appeared in court wearing a traditional pink veil and cuddling her toddler, said she was keen to see the end of the case.

"I'm anxious. Only God knows when this will be over," she said.

Lawal's case has sparked protests from human rights activists who have questioned the legality of the death sentence.

The Sharia legal system is opposedby the country's central authorities and the west African country's Christian community.

Lawal's appeal was to be heard in March, but the hearing was delayed until yesterday.

Amina is not the only one fighting for her life. In a separate case, a man and woman alleged to have been having an adulterous relationship have been sentenced to the same punishment and begin their appeals today.

They had originally been sentenced to terms of imprisonment. But when the father of the woman challenged the severity of the prison terms, far harsher death sentences were imposed instead.

The incident highlights the arbitrarynature of the entire Sharia legal system in a society where sexual relationships outside wedlock are far from uncommon.