Ben Townley, Gay.com UK
Monday 11 July, 2005

A man has been sentenced to death by stoning, after he admitted having gay sex.

The Nigerian man, who has so far remained unnamed, was given the punishment by a Sharia court.

The hard-line Islamic law has been criticised in the past for its advocating of stoning as a punishment.

Now, a senior UN expert has called for the gay man to be protected from the death sentence.

According to Reuters news agency, Philip Alston has called for the judgement to be reassessed, as well as Sharia law in general to be studied for human rights abuses.

Alston, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions said the case needs to be reviewed, and suggested sexuality should not be a reason for killing, even if it is considered wrong by religious leaders.

"Sodomy cannot be considered one of the most serious crimes for which, under international law, the death penalty can be prescribed," he told reporters over the weekend, adding that the punishment is "wholly disproportionate".

Reuters says the 50-year-old man had been acquitted of having gay sex with another, but in admitting to previously having gay sex was given his sentence.

Alston is now calling for international intervention, which has previously helped others sentenced to stoning by Sharia.

Previously, women have faced stoning for having sex but have been released after complaints from international human right bodies.

Earlier this year, Sharia came under the spotlight after it emerged a woman in Pakistan had been sentenced to gang rape for a crime committed by her brother.

The country's courts ruled that the men who raped her must be given life sentences for their crimes, although a Sharia court overruled the decision and acquitted them.