28 March 2006 :

Afghanistan will free Abdur Rahman, a man who faced the death penalty for converting to Christianity, following Western pressure for his release, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. Rahman, 40, was jailed this month for rejecting Islam and converting to Christianity in a case that raised a storm of international protest and threatened to create a rift between Afghanistan and the United States and other Western backers.
In Afghanistan, many clerics and other conservatives have called for Rahman to be tried under Islamic law, meaning he could be executed for abandoning the faith.
Street protests against him possibly being freed also raised fears for his safety, if he were to stay in the country after any release.
"He will be released," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. "I understand now that the details of his release and any potential onward travel are being handled as a private matter."