Brasilia, 27 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Brazilian government is considering the possibility of offering political asylum to a 35-year-old Nigerian woman, Suflyatsu Huseini, who was condemned to death by stoning for having a child out of wedlock. The Nigerian woman alleges that she was raped, but even so, the Sharia (Islamic law in effect in that country) considers the woman's "infidelity" as a crime more serious than murder, and, therefore, it's almost certain she will be executed. The sentence will be carried out as soon as Huseini's baby, who is 10 months old, no longer needs to be breast-fed.

The drama of this Nigerian mother touched President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who - before traveling to Sweden, Poland and Slovakia - decided to intervene with the Nigerian government to avoid her death. The head of the Administration's General Secretariat, Arthur Virgílio, is also participating of the negotiations to avoid the execution of Suflyatsu Huseini. (MW)