Hundreds of protesters chanting anti-American slogans gathered in Afghanistan Monday to protest the planned release of a man who faced the death penalty for converting to Christianity from Islam.
"Death to Bush!" some of the Muslim protesters shouted in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif as they demanded that Abdul Rahman be put to death.
Over the weekend, an Afghan court reportedly decided to drop the case against Rahman, 41, who was charged with apostasy during a recent battle over custody of his children.
Negotiations are now underway about when and where he will be released.
Some Muslim clerics are threatening to incite followers to kill Rahman if he is freed, saying he deserves to die for the crime of rejecting his Islamic faith.
Rahman converted to Christianity 16 years ago while working for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
He was arrested in March after his estranged family reported him to authorities.
The case has drawn international attention, especially in Western nations that have troops stationed in Afghanistan to protect its move toward post-Taliban democracy.
Politicians from countries such as Germany and Italy pushed for their troops to be withdrawn if Afghanistan's court system did not respect Rahman's right to freedom of religion.
The country's constitution, drafted after the ultra-conservative Taliban government was forced from power four years ago, is based on Shariah law, the code by which devout Muslims are required to live.
The Afghan judiciary is dominated by religious conservatives, many with strong religious ties or backgrounds.
The judiciary was initially defiant in the face of the international outcry, leading to an impasse with the secular government of Karzai, which wanted Rahman released.
However, conflicting reports on the weekend said Rahman either had been found mentally unfit to stand trial or had become a German citizen and thus was outside the jurisdiction of the Afghan court system.
Even if he is freed, it's possible he could be arrested and charged again.
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