Mother of rape victim faces fresh prosecution days before release from prison

Report by Suleiman Siri for Radio Dabanga

Hawa Omar Osman Saleh, the mother of a young woman who was gang-raped by three men in Sennar, is due to appear before Sennar Criminal Court tomorrow, Tuesday, 10 November, in a new case brought against her by the judge who initially presided over her daughter’s rape case.

The hearing comes just 19 days before she is due to complete her current six-month prison sentence.

The new complaint, filed by former trial judge Ismail Awad Rahma, accuses her of violating Articles 115 and 116 of Sudan’s 1991 Criminal Act, relating to influencing the course of justice and insulting a public official during judicial proceedings. Each article carries a penalty of up to three months’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, according to the report.

The mother is serving the six-month sentence in a separate case following her public criticism of the handling of her daughter’s rape case. She also faces an outstanding fine of SDG5 billion, which her family says she cannot afford.

Protesting the initial rape verdict

The new case stems from a video the mother posted on social media after Sennar’s first-instance court sentenced three men convicted of raping her daughter.

In December 2025, the court sentenced the first and third defendants to three years in prison and ordered 100 lashes for the second defendant. The ruling prompted outrage from the victim’s family, particularly given the judicial confessions, forensic report and testimony from a forensic doctor confirming the assault.

The mother subsequently criticised the ruling in a social media broadcast, saying the sentences had effectively rewarded the perpetrators rather than punished them.

Following the video, Judge Rahma filed a complaint against her. Her former lawyer, Farah Mubarak, also brought a separate case against her over her public criticism of the appeal proceedings, resulting in the six-month prison sentence and SDG5 billion fine.

An appeals court upheld that sentence on 27 August 2026, according to the report.

Family questions new prosecution

A relative of the family told Radio Dabanga that they had submitted a petition for clemency about six weeks ago, seeking to have the SDG5 billion fine waived because of the mother’s financial and family circumstances.

The family has yet to receive a response, the relative said, but has instead received notification of the new hearing.

The relative also questioned the conduct of the proceedings, alleging that Judge Rahma acted as both complainant and witness in the case against the mother. The family further disputed allegations that her lawyer, identified as Nahed, had encouraged her to record the video.

The relative said the lawyer had merely tried to console the mother following the initial verdict and denied that she had encouraged her to publish the recording.

The family has appealed for solidarity with the mother, describing the new prosecution as a further injustice against a woman who had spoken out after her daughter was raped.

Three convicted men sentenced to life imprisonment

In a subsequent development, Sennar Court of Appeal judge Abdullah Omar sentenced all three defendants to life imprisonment on 15 September 2026 for the gang rape of the young woman under Article 149 of Sudan’s 1991 Criminal Act.

The ruling followed an earlier decision on 29 August, when the judge initially announced that he would not comply with the Supreme Court’s directive to prosecute the defendants under the rape provision.

A source inside the proceedings told Radio Dabanga that the judge later reversed his position after reviewing the case file, saying he had not examined it properly before his earlier decision.

The life sentences replaced the original punishments imposed by the first-instance court.