Sudan court sentences aid volunteer to flogging, suspended jail term

September 14, 2026 (PORT SUDAN) – A court in the eastern city of Port Sudan on Monday sentenced aid volunteer Breir al-Tom to a suspended prison term, a fine, and 50 lashes under cybercrime legislation, drawing condemnation from a local rights group.

Security authorities arrested al-Tom, a volunteer with the Red Sea State Emergency Response Room, in August last year before lodging formal charges against him.

The emergency rooms are community-led volunteer networks that have coordinated humanitarian relief and essential services across Sudan during the ongoing war.

The Al Jazeera Human Rights Observatory said in a statement that the court convicted al-Tom under articles 14, 24, and 26 of the Cybercrime Act. The charges involved undermining public peace and safety, contempt of religious groups, and spreading false news.

The judge ordered a five-year suspended prison sentence and placed al-Tom under two years of probation, the rights monitor said.

The court also fined him 5 million Sudanese pounds and ordered 50 lashes in a public place, with a further six-month prison sentence if the fine is not paid.

The rights group criticized the use of cybercrime statutes against free speech, calling the penalties harsh and degrading, particularly the public flogging.

It urged authorities to review the verdict, guarantee al-Tom the right to a fair trial, and stop using criminal law to stifle political dissent and civil liberties.