Safiya Husseini is to appeal her sentence of death today

Safiya Husseini is to appeal her sentence of death today. Her case, which has drawn expressions of concern from the Government, some TDs [members of the House of Representatives], and the members of the public in Ireland, is being monitored by the Irish and other EU embassies in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. The Nigerian embassy in Dublin had received numerous correspondence concerning the case from the public, a spokesman said. He added the Nigerian federal government and national assembly had taken up the issue. Several petitions - one with 1,000 signatures and another with 500 - have been handed into the Nigerian embassy. In answer to Dail [Parliament] questions the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, has said the Government made known to Nigeria its "deep concern" and "condemned the severe and inhumane nature of the punishment (of Ms Husseini), which is in violation of Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."The Minister welcomed the appeal by the Nigerian government to the Sokoto State Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over the northern Tungar Tudo village where Husseini lives. The case and the wider issue of Islamic or Sharia law being introduced in northern Nigeria has taken on new significance since the murder of Nigeria's justice minister, Bola Ige, on December 24th.He was also attorney-general and appeared to be heading for a confrontation with Muslim Sharia courts after the death sentence was handed down to Husseini. Police and the government were quick to link the killing to a feud between the two leading politicians in Mr Ige's home state, Ogun. But press commentators have speculated on possible links to the military and Mr Ige's criticism of Sharia law.A Dublin Jesuit, Father Michael O'Sullivan, first drew the attention of the public to the case in a letter to The Irish Times. He quoted from a letter received from a confrere in Nigeria: "According to Islamic law, Safiya is a woman who has had a son outside marriage and who, therefore, must be subject to capital punishment."The woman is to be buried in such a way that she is immobilised, with only her head and chest remaining above ground. Once buried in this way, she is to be stoned until she is dead. "Meanwhile the rapist has been absolved of all blame, for lack of proof," he said.Father O'Sullivan added that his correspondent had said: "Many single women that we do not know have been killed by stoning, but now we know Safiya and so she in this moment is part of our responsibility."