Christian Woman Sentenced to 20 Lashes for Wearing Trousers in Sudan

A 19-year-old Christian woman in Sudan was sentenced to 20 lashes and a fine was wearing trousers.

Fardos Al-Toum was one of the 10 young women aged between 17 and 23 who were arrested for wearing trousers and long skirts outside a Baptist church in Khartoum where they were attending a function.

Four of the women were cleared of the charges, while two women including Al-Toum were ordered to pay fines worth 500 Sudanese pounds, three were to pay only 50 pounds, and one other woman's case is still pending, even as they were all similarly dressed, according to advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

The judge presiding over Al-Toum's trial said her clothing was "indecent" in the court, as it was "showing off her arms". This led him to swiftly move a separate charge against her, in addition to the one she was already facing for dressing inappropriately on the day of her arrest outside the Church.

The lawyer representing the accused women, Muhamad Mustafa, said he had lodged an appeal against the 20 lashes, but it is still pending and the date for further action has not been given yet.

The women were accused based on Article 152 of Sudan's 1991 Criminal Code, which carries a punishment of up to 40 lashes if anyone is found wearing an "indecent or immoral dress". However the human rights activists supporting the women say that the constitution exempts religious minorities from the provisions of the law which is based on Shariah. Faith McDonnell of Institute of Religion and Democracy told the Christian Post that these arrests could be intended to target Christians in the country, as this broadly written law is arbitrarily being used against minorities.

Amnesty International has initiated an online campaign in the UK, bringing together people to put their signatures in the letter to Sudanese authorities to release Al-Toum. The letter had over 40,000 signatures at the time of this article's publication.

"Flogging and other forms of corporal punishment should never be used as punishment -- they constitute torture, and should not be inflicted as part of a justice system," Amnesty International said on their website.

"Moreover, these women have committed no crime -- they have instead been subjected to random, vaguely worded, discriminatory laws."

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