Sudanese Woman Sentenced To Death For Stabbing Husband After Rape

A 19-year-old Sudanese woman, according to CNN has been sentenced to death for stabbing her husband whom she was forced to marry.

The 19 year old was forced to marry at 15 to a man whom she refused to go intimate with. In a bid to consummate the marriage, her husband's relatives held her down while he raped her. 

"His brother and two cousins tried to reason with her, when she refused she was slapped and ordered into the room. One held her chest and head, the others held her legs," - Al-Imam told CNN.

In 2017, Hussein stabbed her husband to death a day after the first rape, when he tried to rape her again. She ran home, but was turned in to the police by her parents.

On 29th April, 2018, Noura was convicted of murder. On 10 May, she was sentenced to death.  Pleas to the husband's family proved fruitless as they requested that she be executed rather than get momentary compensation. Hussein's legal team has 15 days to appeal.

Noura Hussein is one amongst many women going through the issue of forced marriage and marital rape in Sudan, where the legal age of marriage is only 10 and marital rape is legal (CNN). According to Dr. Adil Mohamed Al-Imam, one of Hussein's lawyers, Hussein was in complete shock after her sentencing. She was was abandoned not only by the law, but also by her family.

Shahd Hamza, 20, was among those who came to support Hussein in court, after hearing about her case in a group chat on WhatsApp. She said that while the rape and harassment of women had long been an issue in Sudan, a case like Hussein's had never gone viral.

"People shy away from this conversation in Sudan, it's a taboo," she said. "I hope that people will now feel comfortable to speak about to their parents and grandparents about it."

Noura is being killed for her rights... No woman deserves to be forced into a marriage or raped!