Nigerian girl's lashing sentence cut

Most Nigerian Muslims welcome Sharia law

The authorities in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara say they have reduced the sentence against a teenage girl who was due to receive 180 lashes for having had sex before marriage.

A senior official in Zamfara, which is now governed according to strict Islamic law, Sharia, said the girl would instead receive 100 lashes.

The announcement is the latest development in a case which is attracting growing international attention.

Sharia provisions

Based on the Koran

Provides an overall ethical framework for Muslims

Includes prayers, fasting, charity - as well as a legal code

Women should veil themselves

Physical punishment for crimes - including amputation, flogging, stoning

The case of Bariya Ibrahim Magazu, a poor teenage girl living in rural Zamfara state, is threatening to become a major embarrassment for the Nigerian government.

Bariya, who does not know her exact age, was sentenced to 180 lashes in September when it was discovered she was pregnant.

This was according to the Sharia, or Islamic legal code, which predominantly Muslim Zamfara adopted last year. The father of her child has not been identified.

International concern

The punishment was delayed because of her pregnancy, but her baby was born in December. After that, the young woman was given 45 days to appeal against sentence.

The case has been taken up by Amnesty International and has attracted particular attention in Canada, where last week the foreign minister described the sentence as appalling.

BBC Nigeria correspondent Barnaby Phillips says that though the authorities in Zamfara say they will resist outside pressure, their stance appears to be softening.

The sentence now appears to have been postponed indefinitely.

Divisive issue

Since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999, eight northern states have introduced Islamic law, known as Sharia.

Zamfara was the first state to do so a year ago, and has been the most active in prosecuting the code.

The issue has polarised opinion in Nigeria, where it is opposed by the predominantly Christian south.

Muslims in northern Nigeria feel strongly that Sharia has been misunderstood by Christians, who have tended to concentrate on the punishments.

But it also has massive popular appeal to those who believe it will help root out corruption and restore moral values.

Critics say public floggings for pre-marital sex violate the constitution and are an infringement of human rights.