Contrary to what had been announced in our press release n°157 (7 May 2003), the execution of Mrs Amina Lawal is not set for the 3rd of June 2003. This version was based on inaccurate information published through the Internet. The 3rd of June 2003 is the new date set by the Sharia Court of Appeal of Katsina State for the hearing against her sentence, according to an Amnesty International delegation present in Court in Katsina State on 25 March 2003, when the new date was fixed.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is calling for a pardon for Mrs. Amina Lawal, sentenced to death by stoning in August 2002 by the Islamic Court of Appeals of Katsina (in northern Nigeria). Sentenced for adultery, her execution had been postponed so that she could nurse her baby.

The President of the IPU, Chilean Senator Sergio Páez, reiterated that "the world organization of parliaments has taken a consistent stand against the death penalty and asserted the principle of equality between men and women, as enshrined in international instruments on human rights and women's rights".

This principle, which is vigorously upheld by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, is a key concept of the Beijing Platform for Action that was adopted in 1995 by the Fourth World Conference on Women and subsequently signed by the Republic of Nigeria.

The IPU strongly protests against the death sentence for adultery handed down on Mrs. Amina Lawal and urges the federal authorities of Nigeria and those of the state of Katsina to grant her a pardon. The IPU calls upon the Parliament of the Republic of Nigeria to convey this urgent request to the authorities in question.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 145 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has a Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Tel. +4122 919 41 16/27 Fax: +4122 919 41 60, 919 41 97 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org