Woman sentenced to death by stoning in Sudan for adultery

KHARTOUM – A Sudanese court in the southern part of Sudan has sentenced a woman to death by stoning after convicting her of charge of adultery, a Sudanese human rights group disclosed on Saturday, Sudan Tribune reports.

On 26 June 2022, Maryam Alsyed Tiyrab, a 20-year woman has been sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery by Kosti Criminal Court in White Nile State.

According to the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), the sentence is yet to be approved by the High Court.

The ACJPS said the sentence violated international standards and called on the Sudanese authorities to overturn it.

Also, the group called for Tiyrab’s “unconditional release, and right to a fair trial”, citing several irregularities that tainted the investigation and the trial as well.

The 2019 Constitutional Declaration did not abrogate the death penalty including for Hudud crimes.

Under Islamic law, Hudud crimes – including apostasy, theft, highway robbery, adultery, slander, and drinking alcohol – carry penalties that include the amputation of hands and feet, flogging, and death.

The implementation of the Islamic Penal Code in Sudan by the former regime has drawn criticism from international human rights groups.

The Islamic penal code was part of the issues that were to be debated during the constitutional conference at the end of the transitional period.

However, the SPLM-N of Abdel Aziz al-Hilu however says it should be part of the peace agreement.