In Pakistan stoning is in the law code for adultery, but rare sentences in recent years have either been overruled or not acted upon. In Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai's government opposes it, but the Taliban rebels who control significant swathes of the country are committed to sharia law and punishments.
In the Gulf, Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic regime maintains stoning as punishment for zina. But a stoning judgment has apparently not been delivered by a Saudi court, or carried out, for many years. Likewise, in the United Arab Emirates, stoning is a legal punishment but not used.
In parts of northern Africa official sharia law has gained strength in the past decade, but only in war-torn Somalia has that led to more stoning deaths. Stoning sentences in Sudan and northern Nigeria in the past decade have been stayed or overturned.
In Somalia, however, Al-Shebab appears committed to the practice. According to Human Rights Watch, the group has stoned to death at least three people since late 2008, all on adultery charges. One was a 13-year-old girl who had been raped. [AFP] Read more
