Sudan: Woman At Risk of Death by Stoning

Source: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4aV4Sz5dXnUuferb4_RjomGCUzQjyRLzwNpLJNt660O1-MA/viewform

Call for signature: A Woman at risk of death by stoning in Sudan
We are group of Sudanese women groups looking for International solidarity on this case of death by stoning. I am sharing a draft statement here please take a look and share around to collect signatures. We hope to publish by Tomorrow at 2pm EST.
Please sign with us and share around.

Check the statement at this link.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g3p0Bzgl45uv41xtj0mGnON3rklAwW830Wl4DOfmMjs/edit?usp=sharing

°

Sudan: Woman At Risk of Death by Stoning

Mariam Tirab, 20 years old woman from Sudan was sentenced to death by stoning on June 27^th, 2022. The young woman was arrested in2021, when a police officer interrogated her without informing her that her confession will be used against her in court. She was presented to trial without access to legal representation nor being informed of the charges and the penalty of the crime of adultery (Zina) in Sudanese laws. She was denied her constitutional and legal rights under the Sudanese laws.

Article 146 of the Sudanese criminal law is built on the Sharia laws, where married women charged with adultery are sentenced to death by stoning, while unmarried women are punished by 100 lashes. Despite the legal reforms of 2020, wherethe transitional government banned corporal punishments, the Sharia laws related to adultery remained unchanged.

Mariam Tirab’s case reached the point of sentence without her having any access to proper legal aid or basic information of her rights. Her confession was obtained by police under illegal procedures. The legal procedures and the justice system is failing women in Sudan, denying her access to the basic right of having fair trial. A group of lawyers and women’s rights organizations started an appeal of the case at the higher court. In the last 10 years, Sudan witnessed several cases similar to Mariam where the sentence was turned at the appeal level. Under the current military regime, the justice system in Sudan is at its worst condition, where unfair trials and politicized trials are the norm. The lack of civilian government in the country for almost a year is increasing challenges for local WHRDs and human rights groups to put pressure on the military regime to reform the justice system.

Since the military coup on October 25^th, 2021, systemic violence against women increased across the country. The return of fundamental Islamic leaders to the political scene in support of the military was rewarded by more oppression of women’s rights. The police force under the Public Order Laws was recreated under a new name of “social police”, which is considered a major set back for women’s rights in Sudan in the last three months. Women and girls’ clothes are under police screening once again in Sudan. As university officials imposed dress codes and prevented some female students from entering the gates without a scarf. The former regime imposed hijab in Sudan for three decades prior to the revolution in 2018. Within one year of the military coup, women in Sudan are living under the same oppressive system once again. The military leaders are closing the public spaces, using repressive laws to crush the resistance movement led by women.

Mariam Tirab’s prison visit was prevented by the judge recently. She is detained in Kosty city of white Nile state under inhumane prison conditions. Women’s rights and human rights groups started a campaign and organized protests calling for her release and for legal reforms that respect women rights.

We the undersigned groups calls for

The Sudanese authorities to overturn the sentence against Mariam Tirab and grant her the right to fair trial and access to lawyers and visits.
We call on the Sudanese authorities to abide by and respect their obligations to international laws as state parties of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Right and the UN Convention against the Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT).
We call on relevant UN Special Procedures mandate holders andOHCHR to take action to urge Sudanese authorities to overturn this sentence and end violations of the international human rights law and respect the state obligations to protect women and human rights.