KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – An Afghan man who faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity has appealed for asylum in another country, the United Nations said Monday after hundreds of Muslims marched against a court’s decision to dismiss his case.

Afghan officials did not say whether Abdul Rahman had been released after the case against him was dismissed Sunday, but the U.N. statement came amid unconfirmed reports that he was being freed.

“We do understand that he will be released,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington. “We’re pleased by that.”

Earlier Monday, hundreds of clerics, students and others chanting “Death to Christians!” marched through the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif to protest the court’s decision to toss out the case.

Several Muslim clerics have threatened to incite Afghans to kill Rahman if he is freed, saying that he is clearly guilty of apostasy and deserves to die.

“Mr. Rahman has asked for asylum outside Afghanistan,” U.N. spokesman Adrian Edwards said. “We expect this will be provided by one of the countries interested in a peaceful solution to this case.”

Rahman, 41, was arrested last month after police discovered him with a Bible. He was put on trial last week for converting 16 years ago while working as a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan and had faced the death penalty under Afghanistan’s Islamic laws.

But the case set off an outcry in the United States and other nations that helped oust the hard-line Taliban regime in late 2001 and provide aid and military support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai. President Bush and others insisted Afghanistan protect personal beliefs.

Karzai had to balance those concerns with the risk of religious sensibilities in Afghanistan.

McCormack said he did not believe U.S. officials have been in touch with Rahman regarding his travel plans, which he said were being handling privately.

“This has been a sensitive matter for the Afghan people,” McCormack said. “We understand that. So we think in the coming days, in the coming weeks, as this case is resolved, that there be calm and that any differences the Afghan people, some Afghan people may have with regard to the resolution of the case be handled without resort to violence.”

While officials said the case against Rahman was dropped, prosecutors also said earlier Monday they were still examining whether he was mentally fit to stand trial.

Deputy Attorney General Mohammed Eshak Aloko told The Associated Press that he may be sent overseas for psychological treatment if a medical examination that started Monday concludes that he is insane.

“Three Afghan doctors have worked on him today,” Aloko said. “Sometimes he appears normal but at other times he looks very strange. His body twitches all the time.”

He did not say when the evaluation would be completed.

“We will consider sending him for treatment outside the country if he needs it,” Aloko said.

A senior Afghan official closely involved with the case, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, told AP that Rahman would be freed shortly, but the details of how it would be done were still being hammered out.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said at a news conference in Kabul that he was optimistic the issue would soon be resolved. “I hope that soon there will be a solution,” he said.

No country has offered asylum to Rahman, said another official familiar with the case who also declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Monday’s protest of the court’s decision ended peacefully about two hours after it started in Mazar-i-Sharif, police commander Nasruddin Hamdrad said.

The protesters chanted “Death to Bush!” and “Death to Christians!” he said. Police in riot gear stood guard but did not intervene.

“Abdul Rahman must be killed. Islam demands it,” said senior Cleric Faiez Mohammed, from the nearby northern city of Kunduz. “The Christian foreigners occupying Afghanistan are attacking our religion.”

He warned of the possibility of riots in the country if Rahman is released.

Rahman was moved to Kabul’s notorious high-security Policharki prison Friday, a facility that houses about 2,000 inmates, including about 350 Taliban and al-Qaida militants.

He was transferred after inmates at a police detention facility reportedly threatened him. Prison warden Gen. Shahmir Amirpur said Rahman was still in his cell late Monday. He declined further comment.