High Court sentences 20-year-old woman to death by stoning over adultery charge  

The 20-year-old Ms Tiyrab was arrested last month after she separated from her husband and returned to her parents

The world is stunned by the verdict of a High Court in Sudan which sentenced a 20-year-old woman to death by stoning for adultery.

The woman, Maryam Alsyed Tiyrab, was arrested on June 26 by the police in White Nile state and arraigned before a judge at the Kosti Criminal Court, Mail Online reports.

The publication said Ms Tiyrab had separated from her husband and moved back to her family’s home, before she was interrogated by a police who allegedly obtained an illegal confession from her.

She is appealing against the decision with the hope High Court will strike down the ruling.

Ms Tiyrab was reportedly denied legal representation, and her trial commenced without obtaining a formal complaint from the police, which human rights groups say is irregular.

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Under Islamic law, hudud crimes enforced in Sudan carry penalties such as the amputation of hands and feet, flogging, and in rare cases, death.

In the Muslim Hadith, book 17, number 4191 of Sahih Muslim, it is reported about the penalty for adultery: “‘Ubada b. as-Samit reported: Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Receive (teaching) from me, receive (teaching) from me. Allah has ordained a way for those (women). When an unmarried male commits adultery with an unmarried female (they should receive) one hundred lashes and banishment for one year. And in case of married male committing adultery with a married female, they shall receive one hundred lashes and be stoned to death.”

The last known case of a woman sentenced to stoning for adultery was in South Kordofan state in 2013, but the High Court overturned the decision.

The African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), based in Uganda called for Tiyrab’s ‘immediate and unconditional release’ and accused the Sudanese government of violating domestic and international law.

‘The application of the death penalty by stoning for the crime of adultery is a grave violation of international law, including the right to life and the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,’ the centre said in a statement.

Ishaya Ibrahim:
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