Nigeria – The case of Amina Lawal

At the September 2002 Strasbourg session of the European Parliament, John Bowis made a speech on a Nigerian court’s verdict to punish a woman by sentencing her to death by stoning. Here are some extracts:

“Stoning for adultery is barbaric; flogging for sex before marriage or alcohol consumption and amputation for theft may be considered excessive. To give judicial approval to a stoning to death by a legal mob cannot be acceptable to the vast majority of Nigerians who are decent and responsible, including their president, and it certainly cannot be acceptable to us.

“Earlier this year, we saw international pressure helping to put a stop to plans to stone Safiya Husseini to death. Now Amina Lawal faces the same threat of death by torture. Safiya was married at 12 years old and Amina at 14 years old. They lost their childhood and Amina may now lose her life. The young couple Ahmadu Ibrahim and Fatima Usman face the same prospect, as does an older man accused of rape. This punishment is incompatible with the conventions and covenants signed by Nigeria.”