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Fined for wearing trousers, a 34 year old widow, Lubna Hussein was found guilty of indecency in a case that has demanded worldwide attention. Hussein was saved from receiving the maximum penalty of 40 lashes, but was carried off to jail when she refused to pay the fine. Hussein was fined 500 Sudanese pounds ($200).
The diplomats from the British, French, Canadian, Swedish and Dutch Embassies rolled up to Khartoum’s courthouse, in order to show support for Hussein.
Yasser Arman, a government official, said, "Hussein was found guilty, but we know she is not guilty. This is a clear violation of the constitution, of women's rights, and the peace agreement." Arman is also a senior member of the former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.
Nabil Adib Abdalla, the defense lawyer said the law on indecent dress was so wide it contravened Hussein's right to a fair trial. Hussein has pledged to appeal the sentence. A committee formed for Hussein’s defense may pay the fine and free her.
The case of Hussein was viewed as a test of Sudan's Islamic decency regulations. Many women activists say the laws are not clear and permit individual police officers the opportunity for undue latitude, in order to determine what is suitable clothing for women. Hussein posed in loose trousers for photos and called for media support, in an effort to publicize the plight of women.
Indecency cases are not uncommon in Sudan, where there is a large cultural gap between mostly the Muslim and Arab-ruled north and the mainly Christian south. The case caused roughly 100 women to congregate alongside the court, ahead of the verdict, in support of Hussein. Some of the women were in trousers.
Political and human rights groups strongly contested the trial, claiming the law violated Sudan's 2005 constitution. Before the court session even began scuffles broke out between the women and Islamists, who shouted religious slogans and denounced.
Hussein and her supporters as prostitutes. They demanded a harsh sentence for Hussein.
Approximately 40 women protesters were arrested and at least one woman was beaten, before the crowds were dispersed by riot police.
"A showcase of repressive laws in a country with a long history of civil conflicts" is how Ms Hussein described her arrest.
Amnesty International has placed pressure on the Sudanese Government to drop the charges and repeal the law, which they claim ‘justifies abhorrent penalties’.
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