Noura Stabbed Her Husband As He Raped Her. Now a Court in Sudan Has Sentenced Her To Death
Activists in Sudan are working on a last-ditch effort to save a 19-year-old sentenced to death for stabbing the man she was forced to marry who then raped her.
That human rights for men and women are different has been spoken about across countries and civilizations. Here is the proof. Noura, a 19-year-old has been sentenced to death for fatally stabbing the man she was forcefully married off to and who raped her while his relatives held her down.
When he tried to rape Noura again, she stabbed him to protect herself. He died from his injuries and his relatives had her arrested. Noura Hussein’s case has shone a spotlight on the issues of forced marriage and marital rape in Sudan, where the legal age of marriage is only 10 and marital rape is legal.
The harrowing details of her case have set social media and WhatsApp ablaze in Sudan. And in recent days it has captured international attention with the hashtags #JusticeforNoura and #SaveNoura. Thousands of people have shared a change.org petition.
The death penalty for Noura Hussein was confirmed by a judge on Thursday after her husband’s family rejected the possibility of financial compensation and instead asked for her to be executed. Her legal team now has 15 days to appeal the sentence.
After her initial sentence, Hussein told supporters: “It was a shocking moment when the judge convicted me with murder. I knew then that I [would] be executed, leaving my dreams unfulfilled.”
Noura’s case shows how human rights is a dream for girls like her in Sudan. She was married when she turned 16-years-old but she fled to her aunt’s house. Her family tricked her into returning home, who then handed her over to her husband’s family.
According to her supporters – including the activist group Equality Now, which is backing a petition organised on her behalf – Hussein had been with her husband for six days when he raped her with the assistance of his brother, a relative, and a witness, who held her down.
“She would not have sex with the man,” Sarah ElHasan, an activist supporting Hussein’s case, told al-Jazeera. “He recruited some of his cousins and brought them [to his] home where they held her down while her husband raped her.” When he attempted to rape her again the following day, she stabbed her husband to death before going to her own parents, who handed her over to police.
The Gardian reports that following confirmation of the sentence, Equality Now, which has taken up Noura’s case, said it would be writing to the Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, to ask for clemency.
“We are also calling on people around the world to sign the change.org petition in support of Noura,” said Tara Carey of Equality Now.
There is a groundswell of support for Noura local journalist Amal Habbani told Aljazeera, “Noura was a victim before she became a criminal. She shouldn't have be handed down a death penalty."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 11, 2018 08:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).