Hurera Akilu-Atta, who is one of Amina Lawal's lawyers...

Hurera Akilu-Atta, who is one of Amina Lawal's lawyers and who works for Baobab, a women's human rights organisation in Nigeria said: "When we heard that participants were boycotting this event, we felt happy and hopeful," she said. "We believe that the action should help Amina Lawal." She said that the point of such a boycott is that it should increase pressure on President Obasanjo to overturn the sentence. "The support has been growing internationally. But it is important that women throughout the world go on bringing people's attention to the case. At the moment, the President is being cagey about whether he will overturn the verdict, because he is soon facing an election and he is looking for votes in the north."