An Afghan man who had been facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity is awaiting freedom today after the United States said he would be released.
Abdur Rahman (40) was jailed this month for denying Islam. Judicial officials said he could face trial under Islamic sharia law that stipulates death as punishment for apostasy.
The case provoked an international outcry, with the United States and other staunch Afghan allies demanding Mr Rahman's freedom of religion be respected and he be released.
The Western-backed Afghan government has been seeking a face-saving way out of the crisis, satisfying Western pleas for the man's freedom while appeasing conservative clerics at home who have been demanding Rahman be punished under Islamic law.
A senior judicial official said Mr Rahman still had to undergo psychiatric tests and would be released if he was found unstable.
Mr Rahman became a Christian while working for an aid group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan 15 years ago. He later lived in Germany before returning to Afghanistan.
He was detained after his relatives told authorities he had converted to Christianity following a dispute involving two daughters, officials said.
The United Nations said Mr Rahman was seeking asylum abroad.