Karzai says convert will not be executed - Canada
OTTAWA, Mar 23 (Reuters) Afghan President Hamid Karzai has assured Canada that a man facing possible execution for converting to Christianity will not be put to death, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said today.
Harper called Karzai yesterday to express his concern over the case of Abdur Rahman, who an Afghan judge said had been jailed for converting from Islam to Christianity and could face death if he refused to become a Muslim again.
''He (Karzai) certainly conveyed to me that we don't have to worry about any such eventual outcome. He had already spoken prior to my call to the attorney-general of Afghanistan about dealing with the situation,'' Harper told a news conference.
An Afghan judge dealing with the case said on Thursday that the judiciary would not bow to outside pressure over the eventual fate of Rahman, who has not yet been charged.
Reuters DH VP0051