Civil society groups call on condomn violiation of women rights in Sudan
September 14, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese civil society organizations have called on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to condemn the violations of women’s human rights in the country after a woman has been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery.
After the coup of October 2021, the human rights situation deteriorated, alongside the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.
In a letter to the OHCHR on Wednesday, some 53 Sudanese groups, including the Sudanese Women’s Union and the Strategic Initiative for the Women of the Horn of Africa, called to prioritize the “miserable situation” of women’s human rights.
They called on the UN human rights body to “stress the urgent need for fundamental reform of Sudan’s legal framework”.
After the revolution, the Sudanese parties left legal reforms to the elected parliament, particularly regarding the Islamic laws implemented by the former regime.
However, with the coup, the courts resumed implementing harsh punishments, such as the death penalty by stoning, which is part of the 1991 penal code.
On July 27, a Sudanese judge sentenced a 20-year woman to death by stoning for allegedly committing the crime of adultery in Kosti of White Nile state.
The punishment of stoning for adultery has never been implemented but remains “a constant threat that is used to terrorize women and keep survivors silent within a repressive regime that shows no respect for human rights,” said the civil society groups.
They called for “Immediately release the young woman survivor sentenced to death by stoning, and end her illegal persecution and imprisonment,” read the letter.
In addition, they called to “Hold Sudan accountable for continuing to utilize and legitimize terrorizing punishments and torture against women, such as stoning, amputation, flogging, and other degrading punishments, within its legal frameworks”.
Also, the Sudanese groups underscored that Sudan contradicts its obligations under international human rights laws.
“(…) Stoning violates Article 16 of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) and Articles 4, 6, 7, and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),” they said.
In his briefing to the UN Security Council, UNITAMS Head Volker Perthes pointed out the return of the elements of the former regime to the civil service and to the public space.
(ST)