Foreign ministers from the 54-nation Commonwealth "spontaneously...

Foreign ministers from the 54-nation Commonwealth "spontaneously applauded" the decision of a Nigerian appeals court to spare the life of Amina Lawal, sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer said. But widespread disquiet remained about the role of Islamic Sharia law as it is applied in northern Nigeria. "This development was met with spontaneous applause when I relayed it to the meeting of Commonwealth foreign ministers in New York," Downer said. "I repeatedly made clear to the Nigerian government that Australia regarded death by stoning as a cruel, inhumane and degrading form of punishment." The Commonwealth included two major Islamic nations, Pakistan and Malaysia, and several countries with substantial Muslim minorities, there had been considerable sympathy for the difficulties of fellow member Nigeria in dealing with the highly inflammatory issue. The Nigerian government had made it clear that even if the stoning sentence had been confirmed by the Sharia appeals court, it would have been quashed by the supreme court. At the same time, the government had been concerned about rising violence between the Muslim and Christian communities in the north, which had taken thousands of lives since Sharia law was introduced in parts of the country. One Commonwealth country, Canada, expressed the hope that the outcome of the case would help Nigeria bring Sharia law into line with international views on human rights. "We hope the verdict in this case will help ensure that Sharia penal codes are brought into line with Nigeria's obligations under international human rights treaties to which it is a party," said Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham.