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Noura Hussein

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Sudanese imprisoned child bride

Noura Hussein
NationalitySudanese
Criminal chargeMurder

Noura Hussein Hammad (Arabic: نورة حسين حماد) is a Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death by hanging on 10 May 2018 for killing her husband after he raped her. Hussein's legal team was given two weeks to appeal the sentence. In June 2018, Sudan commuted her sentence to five years in prison and a restitution payment of 337,000 Sudanese pounds (US $18,700).

She was forced into marriage at age 16; the marriage was arranged when she was 15. The defendant claimed the rape occurred while she was restrained by her husband's family members immediately after her marriage. The husband's family declined opportunities to pardon Hussein or accept financial compensation in lieu of her execution. The case caused worldwide outrage.

Protests against her sentence

More than a million people, as of 24 May 2018, signed a petition "Justice for Noura" against her execution. Amnesty International issued a statement, according to which Noura is a victim and the sentence "an intolerable act of cruelty". The death penalty highlights the failure of the Sudanese authorities to tackle child marriage, forced marriage and marital rape, AI said. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Women, the United Nations Population Fund and the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa have all called for clemency while Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres voiced his opposition to the sentence through a spokesman. On appeal, Noura's conviction was reduced to manslaughter. Her sentence was changed to 5 years in prison and a fine.

Noura was released from prison in 2021.

In Literature: This issue was written about by Emtithal Mahmoud in her chapter 'Sharia state (of mind)' in the book 'Feminists don't wear pink and other lies' by Scarlett Curtis. She described in a poem that what Hussein did was "an act of bravery of self-defence of desperation".

References

  1. Barron, Laignee (28 May 2018). "Global Campaign Seeks to Overturn Death Penalty for Sudanese Teen Who Killed Her Rapist". Time. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  2. Mackintosh, Eliza; Elbagir, Nima (11 May 2018). "She stabbed her husband as he raped her. A court sentenced her to death". CNN. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  3. Elbagir, Nima; Dewan, Angela (26 June 2018). "Sudan commutes death sentence for teen who killed rapist husband". CNN. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  4. "Sudan court scraps teen's death sentence". BBC News. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  5. "She fatally stabbed her husband as he allegedly raped her. A Sudanese court sentenced her to death". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  6. "Noura Hussein's story highlights the link between child marriage and violence". Girls Not Brides. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  7. Beaumont, Peter (11 May 2018). "Teenager who killed her husband after he raped her is sentenced to death in Sudan". the Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  8. ^ Grinberg, Emanuella (17 May 2018). "Calls for leniency grow for teen sentenced to die in marital rape case". CNN. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  9. "Sudan: Death sentence for raped teenager is an intolerable cruelty". Amnesty International. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  10. Elbagir, Nima; Dewan, Angela (26 June 2018). "Sudan overturns death sentence for teen who killed her husband after he raped her". CNN.
  11. Salih, Zeinab Mohammed (14 February 2022). "Sudanese woman who killed rapist spouse 'let down' by lack of support". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
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