WUNRN
SUDAN - LAYLA IBRAHIM ISSA FREED FROM PRISON &
STONING
September 12, 2012 - The Court of Appeals
handling Layla’s case has dropped the sentence of stoning, and changed the
charge to “egregious acts”, for which it was determined Layla had spent enough
time in prison. Our Sudanese networkers are still monitoring the situation, in
order to ensure that the changed charges do not result in further violations of
Layla’s rights, or those of her child.
For now, Layla Ibrahim Issa is free, and not
facing any further prison time. We will continue to keep you posted on any
developments for Layla, or other similar cases in
We are grateful to everyone who took part in
this action, and extend thanks on behalf of our Sudanese sisters as well, who
believe the international advocacy by the diverse groups and individuals who
joined to call to action had a huge and positive impact on the Court’s
decision.
Thank you for your support! Together we do
make a difference!
September 12, 2012
_________________________________________________________
The international solidarity network
Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) and the Violence is Not our Culture
(VNC) campaign are dismayed to receive another confirmed report of a woman –
Layla Ibrahim Issa – who is about to be stoned in Sudan. This news
comes shortly after the release of Intisar Sharif Abdallah, who was the first
known case of a woman sentenced to stoning in
Layla Ibrahim Issa, a 23-year old
Sudanese woman, was sentenced to death by stoning on 10th July 2012 (Decision
No. N/A/15/execution/2012) by Judge Imad Shamoun of the Mayo court in
The sentence is a clear violation of both the
rights guaranteed to all Sudanese citizens by
We are urgently appealing for the
support of the international community in demanding the Sudanese government
immediately stop the execution of Layla Ibrahim Issa.
Please write immediately, in Arabic, English
or your own language, to the Sudanese authorities (see full names and addresses
listed below). Your appeals should contain the following important points:
The Sudanese authorities must
1.
Stop
the execution of Layla Ibrahim Issa and re-open the case and guarantee her full
rights to a fair trial;
2.
Provide
Layla the legal representation in court in accordance with the Sudan
Constitution and Article 135(13) of the Sudan Criminal Code 1991;
3.
Ensure
that her condition in prison does not cause physical or mental pain or
suffering, or humiliate or degrade her or her child;
4.
Guarantee
that the best interest of the child who is detained with her, is taken into
account by ensuring the principles followed are in accordance with the
Convention on the Rights of the Child which
5.
Establish
an official moratorium on executions in the country, with a view to abolish the
death penalty in line with the growing global trend and UN General Assembly
resolutions, and urge the President to commute all existing death sentences.
We also ask that you send copies of your
appeals to the Sudanese diplomatic missions in your country, particularly those
in
Background
Layla is from Mesarya from
Stoning as a form of injustice
against women
A military coup in 1989 which ushered in the
rule of Sudan’s long-term and current president Omar al-Bashir introduced shari’a as the
foundation of the country’s jurisprudence and penal laws; a move widely
perceived by many in Sudan as a pretext for the growth in stronghold by
religious fundamentalist forces in the government.
The al-Bashir government passed
the Sudanese Criminal Code in 1991 which contains a number of articles intended
to curb women’s enjoyment of their fundamental rights. These articles have
become the major impediments to