Two women from El Gedaref and Blue Nile face death by stoning in Sudan prison

Activists and human rights defenders say that two women, from El Gedaref and Blue Nile respectively, are being detained in Omdurman prison in Sudan, sentenced to death by stoning. The women are reportedly without legal representation amid the collapse of the justice system, and the restriction of the work of legal aid organisations. The activists highlight that the women’s situation “requires urgent and effective solidarity”.

During an e-safari seminar organised by the No to the Oppression of Women initiative earlier this week to discuss the situation of women in wars, the rights activists said that women in areas controlled by the de facto authorities are subjected to double violations compared to the situation before the war, in light of the application of laws that criminalise women and are used to punish them socially and legally.

The participants explained that during the past week, two women, one from El Gedaref and the other from Blue Nile, were found to be detained in Omdurman prison, under sentence of stoning, highlighting that their situation requires urgent and effective solidarity.

Border laws still in force

The women human rights defenders added that the recent decisions of the Port Sudan government, which included the release of more than 400 women governed by public order laws, do not mean the end of the violations, explaining that the hudud laws are still in force. They also pointed out that there are about 60 women detained in the city of El Obeid and sentenced on charges of collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces.

Participants stressed that prisons witness a large overcrowding of women, most of whom come from certain economic and social groups, pointing out that stoning sentences are used as a means of intimidation and intimidation of women, while others are tried under legal articles such as 50, 51 and 26, which are widely applied and without fair trial guarantees.

The women human rights defenders warned against the use of stoning and death sentences as means of terror and social control, stressing that women’s cases cannot be postponed until after the war, because time does not work in their favor, and that women pay a heavy price daily as a result of the continuation of this legal reality.

Urgent action

The activists called for urgent action to stop the implementation of stoning sentences, launch a legal and media campaign in solidarity with detained women, and work to dismantle laws that legitimise violence against women.

Speakers from Sudan, Syria and Yemen participated in the symposium, during which they discussed the similarities between the situation of women in conflict zones, and the role of ruling and opposition regimes in perpetuating abuses.