The All African Global media reported that various...

The All African Global media reported that various rights groups in Nigeria had mobilised in defence of Amina Lawal Kurami, sentenced to death for having sex outside of marriage. The Campaign for Democracy (CD), Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) and the National Coalition on Violence Against Women, said Amina "must not die." The judgement, according to CD, had "once again exposed Nigeria as a laughing stock to the civilised world," adding: "It is despicable that in this age and time, the state would be involved in turning a child to a motherless baby in the attempt to organised justice for political reasons." The CDHR on its part said: "Human life is sacred and nobody, irrespective of wealth or position should be allowed to dispose the other of it willy-nilly. By this wanton passage of sentence, we are compelled to say once again that Sharia has become a readily available tool in the hands of the oppressors against the oppressed." Also reacting, CLO described the verdict as a "further confirmation of the selective application of Sharia against women and other underprivileged social groups like the poor. It is as though the rich and powerful men at the helms of affairs in Katsina State and other Sharia-governed states are above the law." The National Coalition on Violence Against Women in a separate statement said, it was worried that: "If this pattern of abuse of women's rights is not nipped in the bud, it will mark the opening of a floodgate of more of such flagrant abuse of the citizen's rights to life, freedom from torture, and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. The Federal Government cannot afford to sit on the fence and watch as the rights of some citizens are abused more than others. This is against Chapter 4, section 42 (1) of the 1999 Constitution which prohibits discrimination based on ethnic, group, place of origin, sex, religion, political opinion, whatsoever. The Constitution further prohibits federal or state religion as stipulated in Chapter 1 Section 10."