Amina Lawal: Death by Stoning Sentence Overturned
By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Thu Sep 25, 2003 at 09:16:47 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Posted on Thu Sep 25, 2003 at 09:16:47 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Amina Lawal's sentence to death by stoning for adultery has been vacated by the Islanic appeals court . The Court determined there were errors in her original trial. Four of the five judges voted to throw out her sentence.
The Islamic appeals panel ruled the conviction couldn't stand because Lawal wasn't given enough time to understand the charges against her; only one judge, instead of the required three, presided at her trial; and she was not caught in the act of sex out of wedlock.
In the sole dissenting opinion, Judge Sule Sada said Lawal had confessed to the crime and the conviction should stand. But the defense had argued that the court should reject Lawal's confession because no lawyers were present when she made it.
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