Nigeria court bans online debate
An Islamic Sharia court in the Nigerian city of Kaduna has banned online debates on social networking sites surrounding the country's first case of wrist amputation as punishment for theft. The court ruled that debates hosted on Facebook, Twitter or internet blogs would be used to mock the Sharia system.
A local rights group, the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, had used online social networks to discuss the case of Malam Buba Bello Jangebe, who had his right wrist amputated after being found guilty of theft by a Sharia court in Zamfara State. The Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria has vowed to appeal against the interim injunction banning the online debates. The case's next hearing is set for Monday, 29 March.