A Sudanese woman was sentenced to death by stoning after being convicted of adultery on Wednesday.
Mariam Alcied Teyrab, 20, who was arrested last month in West Nile state on charges of adultery, was tried without access to a lawyer, the Guardian reported.
Several human rights activists have criticized stoning as a clear violation of domestic and international law.
“The imposition 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,” the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies said in a statement.
The center said Teerab did not receive a fair trial and was not told that the information she gave during the interrogation would be used against her, and she was also denied access to a lawyer.
Several groups in Africa fear that the stoning sentence is the beginning of the government’s attempts to roll back women’s rights.
In 2020, Sudan’s transitional government announced reforms to some of its harsh criminal laws, but stoning was not among the reforms.
Several human rights activists have criticized stoning as a clear violation of domestic and international law. ASHRAF SHAZLI/AFP via Getty Images
“The case of death by stoning is a reminder that the criminal law is being reformed during the transition [government] have not been completed and that such harsh, archaic punishments are still officially on the books,” said human rights lawyer Jehane Henry.
Henry defended Teerab, saying that stoning “shows that harsh Sharia law [and] the penalties still apply in Sudan.
Teerab has appealed to the Supreme Court and is hopeful that most of the stonings have been overturned.
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