The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, must intervene in the case of a pregnant Nigerian woman who has been sentenced to death by stoning, a protest outside the Department was told yesterday.
Mr Joe Higgins TD called on the Minister to annul the agreement he signed with the Nigerian government in August aimed at speeding deportations of Nigerians from this State.
Yesterday's protest was sparked by the case of Ms Sofiya Hussaini (33), who was sentenced to death by stoning last month. She had been tried at an Islamic court in the north-western town of Gwadabawa for having premarital sex.
This is a punishable offence under the Sharia form of Islamic law, which was adopted in Sokoto state last year. It is understood Ms Hussaini is four months pregnant.
The man she is alleged to have had sex with was not punished, reportedly because the court did not find sufficient evidence to convict him of adultery.
An appeal against the ruling was filed by the Federal Ministry of Women's Affairs. It has also been appealed by Ms Hussaini's lawyers. The case will be heard today at the Sharia appeal court in Sokoto.
The ruling was also condemned by the president of the Nigerian senate, Mr Anyim Pius Anyim.
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