Noura Hussein Hamad Daoud, a 19-year-old girl, was convicted of and sentenced to death for «intentional murder» under Article 130 of Sudan’s 1991 Criminal Act in connection with the killing of her husband, Abdulrhman Mohamed Hammad. Her lawyers have until 25 May to submit an appeal.

Her trial began in July 2017 and the Central Court of Omdurman on 29 April found her guilty of murdering her husband. The judge who presided in the case applied an outdated law which does not recognise marital rape as an offense. However, the sentencing was scheduled for a later date to allow for the relatives of the deceased husband to choose between pardon and financial compensation (customarily known as Diya or «blood money») or demand the application of the death penalty. The family opted for the death penalty.

According to her testimony, Noura Hussein was betrothed to Abdulrahman Mohamed Hammad against her will at the age of 16 and they were married in April 2017. Under Sudanese law, children can be married off from age 10. When Noura Hussein refused to consummate the marriage, on 2 May 2017 Abdulrahman Mohamed invited two of his brothers and a male cousin to hold her down as he forced himself on her, raping her. The next morning on 3 May 2017 he tried to rape her again and Noura Hussein used a knife to defend herself. Her 27-year-old husband died as a result of the injuries he sustained. A medical examination conducted on Noura Hussein indicated that she also sustained injuries as a result of the scuffle between her and her husband.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature or circumstances of the alleged crime.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

RECOMMENDED ACTION

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY IN ARABIC OR YOUR OWN LANGUAGE:

• Calling on the Sudanese authorities to immediately quash the conviction and death sentence against Noura Hussein Hamad Daoud;
• Urging them to take into consideration the mitigating circumstances in this case in a retrial in proceedings that fully comply with international standards for a fair trial and without recourse to the death penalty;
• Urging them to implement the recommendation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and amend the Sudan Personal Status Law to raise the legal age of marriage from 10 to 18 years old.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 26 JUNE 2018 TO: