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Articles: Afghan convert freed from prison

Posted by admin on Tuesday, March 28, 2006 - 08:14 AM

An Afghan man who faced the death penalty for converting to Christianity has been freed from prison in Kabul.

Abdul Rahman converted to Christianity 16 years ago

Mr Rahman, a Christian for 16 years, was charged with rejecting Islam but his case was dismissed because of gaps in evidence, Afghan officials said. UN officials are meeting in Kabul to discuss Mr Rahman's plea for asylum in another country. A UN spokesman said he expected asylum would be granted by a country "interested in a peaceful solution". Mr Rahman, who was held in Kabul's main Pul-e-Charki prison, has been freed, Afghanistan's deputy attorney general Mohammed Ishaq Aloko told the BBC. He said Mr Rahman will undergo some medical tests to confirm that he is unfit for trial. Execution call UN spokesman Adrian Edwards said the organisation was working with the Afghan government to solve the asylum issue. Mr Rahman was arrested about two weeks ago and under Afghanistan's Sharia legal system could have faced execution if he had refused to renounce Christianity. 'Disturbed' There was also been anger in many of Afghanistan's Western allies at the treatment of Mr Rahman.

Many Afghans are not happy with the decision to dismiss the case

The US, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy and Sweden were among those demanding Afghanistan respect international laws on freedom of religion and human rights. The two arguments have created great difficulties for the Afghan government and the country's President Hamid Karzai. Mr Rahman's family had asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the case against him, saying he suffered from mental illness. Judge Ansarullah Mawlavizada told the BBC there was considerable doubt that Mr Rahman was fit to stand trial. According to Judge Mawlavizada, Mr Rahman appeared "disturbed". The judge also said it was not clear if the accused was really an Afghan or a citizen of another country. Several hundred people protested on Monday against the case's dismissal. Mr Rahman has lived outside Afghanistan for 16 years and is believed to have converted to Christianity during a stay in Germany.

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