Freedom House Denounces Woman’s Stoning Sentence in Sudan
Freedom House strongly condemns a decision to sentence a 23-year-old woman to death by stoning in Khartoum, Sudan after she was charged with adultery. Sudan’s Supreme Court must reverse this decision, which was handed down in violation of Sudanese law, as the defendant, Ms. L.I.E., lacked legal representation. Moreover, Freedom House calls on the government of Sudan to immediately remove Article 146 from its penal code, a violation of international human rights standards, which sentences to death any married person who commits adultery. Ms. L.I.E., who pleaded guilty to the charges of adultery, is imprisoned within a single cell, and it is unclear when authorities will carry out her sentence.
Sudan, ruled by military strongman Omar al-Bashir since 1989, ranks among the worlds’ most repressive regimes. Following South Sudan’s independence in July 2011, Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party has launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations in an effort to tighten its hold on power.
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