#JusticeForNoura: Will outcry overturn death penalty for Sudanese teen?
Activists urge Sudan to enact legal reform that would protect women and girls.
A 19-year-old Sudanese woman was sentenced to death by hanging for killing her husband after he allegedly raped her. Now, international groups, including the UN, are asking the Sudanese government to spare the life of Noura Hussein. Her story has sparked a huge outcry online and is being shared with the hashtag #JusticeForNoura.
Forced into marriage at 16, Noura rejected her husband and went into hiding for three years. Her father allegedly tricked her into returning home, and when she continued her refusal to consummate the marriage in April last year, her husband had male relatives hold her down while he raped her. When he tried to rape her again, Noura said she stabbed her husband in self-defence. In Sudan, marital rape and child marriage are not considered crimes.
Advocates for women’s rights say Sudan’s legal system often fails to protect the vulnerable and criminalises rape victims. In this episode, we’ll discuss Noura’s case and the challenges Sudanese women and girls face when seeking justice for sexual violence. Join the conversation at 1930GMT.
On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Mohamed Seifeldein @MoSeifeldein
International lawyer
moseif4council.com
Naitore Nyamu-Mathenge @NaitoreNyamu
Programme officer, Equality Now
equalitynow.org
Nahid Gabralla
Director, SEEMA Center
facebook.com/SEEMACenter
Hala al-Karib @Sihanet
Director, SIHA Network
sihanet.org
Yassmin Abdel-Magied @yassmin_a
Writer, engineer, and broadcaster
yassminam.com
Read more:
Sudanese teen bride who killed husband during rape to be executed – Reuters
Sudan: Death sentence for raped teenager is an intolerable cruelty – Amnesty International
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