Brussels, 21/08/2002 (Agence Europe) - Confirmation of Monday by the Islamic Court of Appeal in Katsina (Nigeria) of the death by stoning of the 31 year old Amina Lawal Kurami, accused of adultery, has caused a storm of protest. The Commissioner Nielsen's spokesperson, Michael Curtis, indicated that the European Commission was following the case very closely and that the authorities were being approached as they had been in the past. Mr Curtis also referred to the commutation of the death penalty last March in the similar case of Safyia Hussaini (see EUROPE 29 March). Several Member States have responded. In London, the Foreign Office pointed out, "with our European partners, Great Britain rejects the death penalty in all circumstances". In France, the Quai d'Orsay let it be known that it had asked the Nigerian authorities to show clemency. The Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Anna Lindh was distressed that in the year 2002, a woman could still be stoned to death. In the USA, the spokesperson for the State Department, Philip Reeker, appealed to Nigeria to respect international obligations, particularly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.