A video being circulated by media outlets allegedly shows an Sudanese woman being flogged by a police officer, who is supposedly punishing her just for riding a car with man she was not related to.
A disturbing new YouTube video shows a Sudanese woman crying out in pain during a public flogging.She was reportedly guilty of riding in a car with a man who wasn’t her husband or an immediate family member, an offense that is prohibited by Sudan’s public order law.
The woman, reportedly named Halima, crouches on the ground and tries to cover her head with a light pink cloth while a police officer walks around her with a whip, stopping to aim before lashing out at her body.
At about 0:39 seconds into the video, the police officer warns the woman, “This is so you don’t get into cars anymore,” according to France24.
The video was anonymously sent to a journalist, who uploaded it on Sept. 17. It is unclear when the incident took place.
The accents in the video suggest it was filmed around Khartoum, Sudan’s capital city.
Shar’ia law, a system of Islamic religious laws, is widely interpreted by Muslim communities around the world.
Sudan’s Public Order Law came into effect after Islamist Dictator who is try arrested by Interpol General Omar al-Bashir took over as the country’s president during a 1989 military coup.
According to women’s rights activists, the law allows police officers to dole out punishments at their own discretion.
The “personal status” laws found in several conservative countries around the world are often vaguely worded, according to Cristina Finch, the managing director of Amnesty International’s Women’s Human Rights program.
“Public indecency laws can be interpreted widely, ” Finch told The News. “But this is not a matter of culture or religion. Women’s rights are universal and governments have an obligation under international human rights law to respect, protect, and fulfill those rights. ”
Sudan’s law drew international attention earlier this month after a Sudanese woman was arrested for refusing to wear a headscarf. Amira Osman Hamed, a 35-year-old engineer and activist, could get up to 40 lashes if she is convicted of the crime, according to Amnesty International.
A judge agreed to postpone Hamed’s trial until Nov. 4 after pressure from international activists.
According to women’s rights activists, the law allows police officers to dole out punishments at their own discretion.
The “personal status” laws found in several conservative countries around the world are often vaguely worded, according to Cristina Finch, the managing director of Amnesty International’s Women’s Human Rights program.
“Public indecency laws can be interpreted widely, ” Finch told The News. “But this is not a matter of culture or religion. Women’s rights are universal and governments have an obligation under international human rights law to respect, protect, and fulfill those rights. ”
Sudan’s law drew international attention earlier this month after a Sudanese woman was arrested for refusing to wear a headscarf. Amira Osman Hamed, a 35-year-old engineer and activist, could get up to 40 lashes if she is convicted of the crime, according to Amnesty International.
A judge agreed to postpone Hamed’s trial until Nov. 4 after pressure from international activists.
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