The Afghan who faced a death sentence for converting from Islam to Christianity has been freed today after numerous pleas from Western governments that his religious freedom should be respected, the Afghan minister reported on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, Abdur Rahman, 40, was jailed for abandoning his Islamic faith, with officials saying that he could face trial under the Islamic sharia law, which stipulates death as a punishment for apostasy.

Sarwar Danish, the Afghan Justice Minister said, “I can confirm that he was released. He is not in detention. I do not know if he is with his family or where, but he has been acquitted.”

When questioned about the exact legal grounds behind the converts release, Danish stated that he could not comment on this.