Islamic Court Delays Woman’s Appeal

An Islamic court in Nigeria postponed the appeal of a woman condemned to death by stoning for having sex outside marriage. A Sharia Appeals Court registrar said Amina Lawal’s case was deferred until Aug. 27 because two of the panel’s four judges would be unavailable until then.

Officials of Katsina state -- one of a dozen in Nigeria to have adopted strict Islamic law, or Sharia -- have insisted that the case go through the judicial appeals process despite requests by Nigeria’s federal government to free Lawal, 31, a single mother.