New Amnesty briefing urges abolition of flogging of women in Sudan

Amnesty International denounces the practice of flogging in Sudan, which particularly affects women. A new Campaign Briefing from Amnesty asks people to write to Sudan’s President Bashir, urging him to abolish this brutal practice.

Sudanese women face a daily risk of being arbitrarily arrested in public or private places for “indecent or immoral behaviour or dress”. Public Order Police Officers in Sudan have the power to decide what is decent and what is not.

In most cases women are arrested for wearing trousers or knee length skirts. Such behaviour can be punishable by up to 40 lashes under Article 152 of Sudan’s Criminal Act 1991. These punishments amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and affect women as well as girls under 18 in Sudan.

Amnesty International is calling on the Sudanese government to abolish Article 152. The law, says Amnesty, is discriminatory, vaguely formulated and constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of expression.

Article 152 is not the only law that discriminates against women in Sudan. The article is part of the broader public order regime that actively restricts the human rights of women and girls. The public order regime includes the Public Order Acts, sections of the 1991 Criminal Act and the associated public order police and courts.

Read the campaign briefing, Sudan: Abolish the flogging of women

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