Contemporary Memo

Afghan Christian released from prison

Last Updated Mon, 27 Mar 2006 14:15:39 EST

An Afghan man who faced death for converting from Islam to Christianity has been released from prison in Kabul, the deputy attorney general said Tuesday.

Abdul Rahman abandoned Islam and became a Christian 16 years ago. (AP Photo/APTN/Ariana Television)

Abdul Rahman was released from the prison on the outskirts of Kabul late Monday night, Mohammed Eshak Aloko told the Associated Press.

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

Earlier Monday, a UN official said Rahman was seeking asylum.

One of the countries that is involved in the 41-year-old's case will provide asylum, Adrian Edwards told AP.

Rahman has aroused great anger in Afghanistan, where rejecting Islam by converting to another religion is deemed to be a capital offence by religious authorities, no matter what the courts do.

The White House confirmed Monday that he would be released, the outcome sought by a number of Western countries.

Rahman was charged with apostasy during a recent battle over custody of his children. If convicted, he could be executed.

Western countries objected, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai was in a tough position. He could mollify the foreign countries that are fighting insurgents and providing aid to Afghanistan, or he could appease the conservative and powerful religious authorities.

Over the weekend, an Afghan court decided to release Rahman on legal technicalities.

Death to Bush, Rahman, protesters say

Earlier Monday, hundreds of protesters chanting anti-American slogans gathered to protest his planned release.

"Death to Bush!" some of the Muslim protesters shouted in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif as they demanded that Rahman also be put to death.

Some Muslim clerics have threatened to incite followers to kill Rahman if he is freed, saying he deserves to die for the crime of rejecting his Islamic faith.

Family reported convert to authorities

Rahman converted to Christianity 16 years ago while working for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

His trial drew widespread condemnation from Western countries, including Canada.

Pope Benedict XVI and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also urged Karzai to seek the convert's release.

Constitution based on Shariah law

The country's constitution, drafted after the ultra-conservative Taliban government was forced from power four years ago, is based on Shariah law, the code by which devout Muslims are required to live.

The Afghan judiciary is dominated by religious conservatives, many with strong religious ties or backgrounds.

The judiciary was initially defiant in the face of the international outcry, leading to an impasse with the secular government of Karzai, which wanted Rahman released.

However, conflicting reports on the weekend said Rahman either had been found mentally unfit to stand trial or had become a German citizen and thus was outside the jurisdiction of the Afghan court system.