Amina Lawal

Date: 25 September, 2003

The Nigerian Islamic Appeals Court freed Amina Lawal, a young woman sentenced to stoning to death by the Bakori Sharia court in the Katsina Islamic state of Nigeria. Lawal was accused of having a child out of wedlock and subsequently found guilty by the Sharia courts. The Appeal Court's decision saved Lawal from a death sentence imposed by the lower courts. Lawal's case became an international case that highlighted the plight of women in Nigeria's northern Muslim states, which were given self-autonomous status under Nigeria 's federal system.

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References:

1. BBC. (2004). "Key dates", BBC Focus on Africa: Vol 15. No 1. pp 6.