As we told you on Friday in this news, we sent a special Newsletter this weekend about Noura Hussein‘s story and we also shared the petition: Don’t execute Noura for self defense against the man who raped her! on Change.org.
This petition will help spread the word about Noura’s case and we hope many of you will sign it, so don’t hesitate to share the link with your family and friend.
Show your support to #NouraHussein, 19-year-old #Sudan-ese found guilty of killing her husband after suffering marital rape, now facing #deathpenalty #JusticeForNoura #SaveNoura Spread the word and Sign the petition! https://t.co/QksE7Er2Ut
— MagkaSama Project (@MagkaSama) May 12, 2018
Here is the statement by UN Women, jointly issued with UNFPA and the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa: Appeal for clemency for Noura Hussein.
UN Women, UNFPA and the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa join the people of Sudan who are appealing for clemency in the case of 19-year-old Noura Hussein of Sudan, who has been sentenced to death for killing her husband. Reports indicate that she was forced against her will into marriage at the age of 16. She was raped by her husband while his three male relatives held her down. Speaking as the voices of women and girls of the world, we plead with the government of Sudan to save the life of Hussein and to protect the lives of all women and girls as envisaged in the United Nations Charter and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Many articles are being published about Noura, like this one on The Guardian. Peter Beaumont writes:
The case has attracted widespread attention on social media, where a campaign Justice for Noura has been trending on Twitter. Her legal team now has 15 days to appeal the sentence. After her initial sentence, Hussein told supporters: “It was a shocking moment when the judge convicted me with murder. I knew then that I [would] be executed, leaving my dreams unfulfilled.” The case, which once again highlights the issue of forced marriage and marital rape in a number of countries, is striking for its shocking details.
The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) published today: Trapped in between misogyny and dogma: Noura’s case and the Dilemma of Sudan’s legal system.
SIHA believes that both the Sudan Criminal Act and Sudan Personal Status Laws are contributing to the victimization of Noura and deterioration of human rights conditions of women and girls across the country. Having addressed the ambivalence and flaws of the Sudanese laws, SIHA stresses that it is high time for Sudan to fundamentally amend both laws with the purpose to abandon unjustified violations of women’s human rights, and to sign and ratify the Convention of Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, where Sudan remains among only three countries across the world who have not signed CEDAW.
It’s important we mobilize for Noura and all the Nouras around the world, please sign the Petition and spread the word about it!
