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Arrested and at risk of flogging for wearing skirts and pants | |||||
Dear friends, This outrages me: Ten female students in Sudan have been arrested and are at risk of flogging after being charged with "indecent dress."Each could face 40 lashes. Forty lashes for a group of Christian students - between the ages of 17 and 23 - who were simply wearing either pants or skirts at the time of their arrest. Tell Sudanese authorities: A hemline is not a crime. These charges must be dropped, and this abhorrent punishment must be abolished. A broad set of laws gives the Public Order Police (POP) in Sudan extensive powers to arrest any person for "indecent dress." A guilty verdict carries with it the punishment of 40 lashes or a fine - or both. In practice, the law is used overwhelmingly against women. Amnesty has documented multiple cases of women and girls facing convictions under this law. Sudanese authorities must drop the charges immediately and take action to repeal this outrageous law. During their detention, the female students were subjected to humiliating verbal abuse and degrading treatment by the police. It's infuriating to imagine that the simple choice to wear pants or a skirt caused this kind of treatment. This discriminatory law must be repealed immediately, and the charges against the 10 female students dropped immediately and unconditionally. In solidarity, Kaitlyn Denzier Women's Rights Campaigner Amnesty International USA | |||||
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» Amnesty International Tell Sudan: A hemline is not a crime
