Afghan Christian Convert Goes Free

An Afghan man who faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity has been freed from prison, the deputy attorney general said early today.

The man has asked for asylum in another country, according to U.S. and U.N. officials.

Abdur Rahman was released from the high-security Policharki prison on the outskirts of Kabul late Monday, Deputy Atty. Gen. Mohammed Eshak Aloko said.

“We issued a letter saying he was mentally unfit to stand trial, so he has been released,” Aloko said. “I don’t know where he is now.”

Hundreds of Muslims demonstrated Monday against a court’s decision Sunday to dismiss the case against Rahman after heavy international pressure on President Hamid Karzai to drop the trial. Several Muslim clerics have threatened to incite Afghans to kill Rahman, saying he is guilty of apostasy and deserves to die.

Before the announcement about Rahman’s release, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, “We do understand that he will be released, that the Afghan government has found that there were substantial evidentiary problems with the case and that the case ... has been referred back to the Ministry of Justice and that he will be released. We’re pleased by that.”

United Nations spokesman Adrian Edwards said: “Mr. Rahman has asked for asylum outside Afghanistan. We expect this will be provided by one of the countries interested in a peaceful solution to this case.”

No country has offered asylum to Rahman, an Afghan official said.

McCormack said that where Rahman goes “is going to be up to Mr. Rahman.”