I will weep if woman executed, says president

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said he would weep if a single mother sentenced to death

But he said he had faith the courts would overturn her sentence.

Obasanjo’s comments appeared to confirm he would not intervene directly in the case, despite an international outcry.

It was the first time the president spoke about Amina Lawal since an Islamic court in the northern town of Funtua last week rejected her appeal against the stoning sentence, handed down for having sex outside of marriage.

“I don’t think what is going on will lead to her death,” Obasanjo told reporters. “Indeed if it does, which I very much doubt, I will weep for myself, I will weep for Amina and I will weep for Nigeria.”

Obasanjo is internationally respected as one of Africa’s moral leaders, but he faces mounting criticism at home. The House of Representatives has threatened to begin impeachment proceedings against him on charges he failed in his responsibilities since he was elected in 1999.

Governments and human rights organisations around the world have urged Obasanjo’s administration to intercede in Lawal’s case. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer warned Nigeria will face international outrage if the sentence is applied.

Nigeria’s justice minister has said government lawyers will assist Lawal’s legal team during her next appeal.

Obasanjo has the power to commute Lawal’s sentence if she loses her appeal at the Supreme Court, according to officials. But the president did not mention plans to do so.

Lawal was sentenced in March after giving birth to a daughter more than nine months after divorcing.

Her conviction was upheld after she admitted having sex outside marriage. The man she identified as her baby’s father denied the accusation and was acquitted for lack of evidence.