Maryam Alsyed Tiyrab, a 20-year-old woman in Sudan has been sentenced to death by stoning over charges of adultery, the first such sentence in a decade. She was arrested by police in Sudan’s White Nile state last month.
Tiyrab will appeal the decision. Most stoning sentences, which are mainly against women are overturned in the high court. the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) called for Tiyrab's release and for her right to go for a fair trial. The ACJPS also said the sentence violated domestic and international law.
Activists worry the sentence is a sign that post the military coup lawmakers have been emboldened to roll back small gains the transitional government made for women’s rights.
“The application of the death penalty by stoning for the crime of adultery is a grave violation of international law, including the right to life and the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” ACJPS told the Guardian. Under Islamic law in Sudan, crimes like theft, highway robbery, adultery, slander, and drinking alcohol are often given penalties like amputation of hands and feet, flogging, and death.