Police in Sudan’s White Nile state last month arrested Maryam El-Sayed Tarab, 20. The young woman was accused of adultery. On Wednesday, I heard a death sentence by stoning. According to the Guardian, the 20-year-old plans to appeal the court’s decision.
The case sparked a heated debate among the public. Human rights defenders condemn the punishment of stoning as a clear violation of national and international law. The Uganda-based African Center for Justice and Peace Studies called for the “immediate and unconditional release of the pilot”.
Activists fear the ruling is a sign that the October military coup in Sudan emboldened lawmakers To undo the already minor concessions on women’s rights that were obtained under the transitional regime.
The death penalty in Sudan. The woman did not even receive the help of a lawyer
Officials of the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies believe that the women did not receive a fair trial. She was not informed that the information she provided during interrogation would be used against her. Terrap was also denied legal representation.
Jehanne Henry, human rights lawyer, says the verdict “Proves that strict Sharia laws and penalties are still in force in Sudan.”
The case of death by stoning is a reminder that criminal law reforms during transformation [rządu – przyp. red.] Henry, quoted in the Guardian, said that such old strict punishments still officially found in the books, were not complete.
The first such case in nearly a decade
The last known case of a woman sentenced to stoning for adultery was in South Kordofan State in 2013. However, the sentence was overturned. In 2020, Sudan’s interim government, which followed the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir, announced reforms in Islamic law and policies. The changes did not include stoning, but the country ratified the UN Convention Against Torture in August.
African Center for Justice and Peace Studies officials say stoning is a form of state-sanctioned torture and a violation of the country’s human rights obligations. Courts are still applying the caning penalty, which was banned in 2020.
See also: The death penalty. Barbarism or justice?
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