He has asked not to be deported. The Italian authorities should heed his request.
From AKI (thanks to Twostellas):
Turin, 3 Sept.(AKI) – A young Nigerian Roman Catholic who faces death by stoning in his homeland for having had pre-marital sex with his girlfriend, has appealed to Italy not to deport him. “I am safe here. I know by the grace of God I will find life here, Felix Eugene told Adnkronos International (AKI).
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is due to begin considering on Monday whether Eugene, 27, can remain in Italy, where he has been living since 2004.
“I know that as a young man, I can do any kind of work,” said Eugene. He been working as a casual labourer unloading goods at a supermarket in the northern Italian city of Turin, and working as a hairdresser in his free time.
Magistrates in Nigeria sentenced Eugene to death by stoning preceeded by public flogging. A Sharia court gave him 20 lashes for 21 days for having tried to convert his Muslim girlfriend Fatima to Christianity. ” I wanted to marry her, so she could be the mother of my children,” he told AKI.
He said he has not been able to contact Fatima or his family since his escape from jail in Niger State and his flight from Nigeria. “I would like to get in touch with my family and Fatima, but I know it will not be easy to find her,” said Eugene….