On Amina Lawal's acquittal, Secretary of Hands Off...

On Amina Lawal's acquittal, Secretary of Hands Off Cain, Sergio D'Elia declared:
"Amina Lawal was acquitted, according to the judges, due to the conviction being void as she was already pregnant when Islamic law came into effect in her state, as reported by CNN.
This sentence shows the political and propagandistic nature of Nigerian Sharia law: an acquittal was preferred in the Islamic state in order to avoid a declaration of unconstitutionality on behalf of the secular Federal Supreme Court. It is an outcome we predicted and are happy about.
For more than a year now we have had assurances from President Olusegun Obasanjo, who we met regarding Amina's case, that as long as he remained President of Nigeria, no stoning would take place in the country.
We trusted him and for this reason gave up our efforts to save Amina more than a year ago. We have had to instead witness in these months tenacious demonstrations, on behalf of abolitionist organisations, radio programs and national parliaments, which have resulted in the criminalisation of Nigeria and its President, making it seem in the world's eyes that the country is one where stonings take place and its president one of many military heads which have governed Nigeria in the past.
All this took place whilst Sharia law and stonings were being implemented and carried out in countries such as Iran, and President Khatami was hailed by Europe as a "great reformer", invited and received in the European capitals as the most welcome of guests.
We know that Nigerian Sharia is not the same as Iranian Sharia, it is instead a "political Sharia", a weapon used by the Northern states against Obasanjo. We knew that Amina was protected at Federal level, not just by the President, but by the Nigerian Constitution, which is tolerant and secular and allows for the study and dissemination of the of the Holy Koran, but not for the practice of Sharia Law, whether it be stonings or other punishments."