Afghan Christian convert freed

An Afghan threatened with execution for abandoning Islam for Christianity has been freed, Kabul said yeserday, after pressure from the Western states whose troops helped bring the Afghan government to power.

Abdur Rahman, 40, was jailed this month for rejecting his faith. Judicial officials said he could have faced trial under Islamic sharia law stipulating death as punishment for apostasy.

"I can confirm that he was released," said Justice Minister Sarwar Danish. "He is not in detention. I do not know if he is with his family or where, but he has been acquitted."

Danish said he could not comment on the legal grounds for Mr Rahman's release.

Judicial officials had raised questions about his mental state and said he had to undergo psychiatric tests.

Mr Rahman's whereabouts were being kept secret to ensure his safety, officials said. He is seeking asylum abroad.

The United States, which had led Western calls for Mr Rahman's freedom, was working with the authorities to ensure his well-being, a US embassy spokesman said.

Afghanistan's Western-backed government has been seeking a way out of the crisis but has had to be mindful of conservative clerics who have been demanding Mr Rahman be punished under Islamic law, and warning of trouble if he were not.

A security official said protests by religious conservatives were expected but there were no reports of any yesterday. About 1,000 people rallied in a northern city on Monday to demand Mr Rahman be executed.

The United Nations said Mr Rahman had requested asylum abroad and it hoped one of the countries involved in the controversy would accept him.

"If he decides to go abroad we would support efforts to find him a safe haven," said US embassy spokesman Lou Fintor.

Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini said in a statement from Rome he would ask a cabinet meeting today to offer Mr Rahman "hospitality" in Italy.