Amina Lawal Kurami has a story which is very similar to the case of Safiya.

She is 35 and lives in a peasant family, at the village of Kurami, in Katsina State.

(Katsina is one of  the 12 northern states of Nigeria where the majority of population is islamic and where, from the beginning of  2000, the "sharia-law" was introduced.)

On March 22nd 2002 she was sentenced to death by stoning, after being charged with having a baby out of wedlock, after divorcing. Amina Lawal, as she said to the Court, divorced at the beginning of 2001. During the following eleven months she met Yahaya Mohammed, a man living in her village, who promised to merry her. Then Amina got pregnant and at the beginning of 2002 a baby girl was born.

Just people of her village, Kurami, reported her to the police and charged her with adultery.

During the trial, just a few days ago, Amina could not prove that the father of her daughter was the man who had promised to merry her. As a matter of fact "The man she said lured her into having sex denied it," as the official said. She was given 30 days to decide whether to challenge the sentence.

Sharia judge Nasiru Lawal Bello Dayi acquitted the man accused by Amina because she could not produce four witnesses as demanded by the Islamic penal code.

The woman now is admitted to bail and is living in her parents' house, where she's weaning her little daughter Wasila. On August 19th 2002 her sentence to death by stoning was unfortunately confirmed and scheduled to January 2004. Her lawyers, who remain hopeful about her fate, will appeal to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

In the meanwhile, the appeal hearing by the 2nd Degree Islamic Court of Katsina State is set on September, 25th 2003.

The appeal to save Amina.

The Community of Sant�Egidio invites everyone to sign and send the appeal to save the life of Amina.

You can send the following petition to the Nigerian Authorities (using the E-mail of the President of the Republic [email protected]    or [email protected] )

fax 234 9 523 21 36 (indirizzato a His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, President of the Republic, The Presidency, Federal Secretariat, Phase II, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja (Nigeria).

His Excellency

Kanu Godwin Agabi,

 Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice,

New Federal Secretariat complex Shahu Shagari Way, Abuja (Nigeria).

Fax: 234 9 523 52 08

Minister Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim,

 Minister of Justice and Attorney General,

New Federal Secretariat Building, 10th Floor,

Federal Secretariat Block 1, Wing 1-B, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja (Nigeria).

Fax: c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 234 9 523 0394/0210

or by means of the 

Embassies of Nigeria in your country,  fax or  e-mail and also c.c. to some Nigerian newpapers:

The Comet  E-mail: [email protected] 

This Day E-mail: [email protected]

Ambasciata della Repubblica di Nigeria presso lo Stato Italiano

Via Orazio 18 � 00193 Roma - fax: 06.6832528 - E-mail: [email protected]

Rappresentanza diplomatica della Nigeria presso l'Unione Europea:

NIG�RIA  (R�PUBLIQUE F�D�RALE DU NIG�RIA)

Chancellerie diplomatique:

av. de Tervuren 288

B-1150 Bruxelles

Tel.: +32-2 762 52 00 - 762 98 47

Fax: +32-2 762 37 63

AMBASCIATA NIGERIANA PRESSO GLI STATI UNITI

NIGERIAN EMBASSY WASHINGTON, DC CONTACTS:

Ambassador

His Excellency, Professor Jibril M. Aminu

Tel: (202) 986-8414; Fax: (202) 986-8449

[email protected]

rappresentanza permanente presso le N.U.

Nigeria - Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations

828 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017

Telephone: (212) 953-9130, Telefax: (212) 697-1970

Mission permanente de la R�publique f�d�rale du Nig�ria aupr�s de l'Office des Nations Unies et des autres organisations internationales � Gen�ve

Rue Richard Wagner 1

1211 Gen�ve 2

T�l�phone : 730 14 14, 730 14 15, 730 14 16

T�l�copieur : 734 10 53

Courrier �lect. : [email protected]