The Costa Rican government urged its representative...

The Costa Rican government urged its representative stay away from the Miss World competition in Nigeria to protest a ruling by an Islamic court in the African nation sentencing Amina Lawal to death by stoning. The minister for women's affairs, Esmeralda Britton, told reporters that Costa Rica could not be a part of any event that purports to promote the image of women in a country where their rights are clearly being violated. "We respect cultural diversity, but not when it threatens human rights. There must be political action, social commitment. As a government and people, we must become involved," she insisted.