Sudan: 10 Christian Women in Sudan at Risk of Flogging for Indecent Dress - PRESS RELEASE & ONLINE PETITIONS

Amnesty International USA
July 12, 2015
     The authorities in Sudan must immediately release and drop charges against 10 women who were arrested in the capital, Khartoum, charged with ‘indecent dress,’ said Amnesty International today.
At the time of the arrest, the women – who are Christian student aged between 17 and 23 from the war-torn Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan – were wearing either trousers or skirts. The Public Order Police stopped 12 women in front of the Evangelical Baptist Church where they had attended a ceremony on June 25. Two of the women were later released by police. The remaining 10 were charged and will be appearing in court next week. If they are convicted, the women could each face 40 lashes.
     Amnesty International East Africa Deputy Director Sarah Jackson said:
“It’s outrageous that these women face a risk of being flogged simply for choosing to wear a skirt or a pair of trousers.
“The public order law is imposed in a way which is hugely discriminatory and totally inappropriate and violates women’s rights.
“Sudan must drop the charges and release these women immediately.
“A hem-line is not a crime.”
     Amnesty International is also calling on the authorities in Sudan to repeal this ‘crime’ of ‘indecent dress’ set out in Article 152 of Sudan’s 1991 Criminal Act.

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Note: 
Additionally, armed conflicts continue in Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile continue unabated, causing mass displacements and civil casualties. Please continue to take action - you can read more by visiting https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/africa/sudan/.