The Wichita NAACP Blog: Humor

Profile in Courage: Lubna Ahmed Hussein

Lubna Hussein is a Sudanese Journalist recently sentenced to 40 lashes for the ‘crime’ of wearing pants. Charged with the criminal act of being “Dressed contrary to Public Sense” under Article 152 of the Sudanese Criminal act of 1991, she and 13 others were to receive 40 lashes. Lubna refused and demanded a trial for her alleged ‘crime’. Moreover, she arrived in court wearing the same pair of pants that she was arrested for having worn and announced to the courtroom that she would officially resign from her position at the UN, which could have granted her immunity, so that she could face these charges head-on. She has mailed out more than 500 invitations to her trial to various media agencies, reporters, and human rights committees. Her trial resumes August 4th. On July 12th, Lubna released a statement that reads, “Dear friends I hope that this is not to be considered as personal case or that the government is targeting me in person. It is the case of those women and minors who have undergone this harsh punishment the same moment of apprehension. It is the case of hundreds of thousands of girls who are lashed or will be lashed daily or monthly or annually in the courts of public order because of the clothing. Those who suffer physically and have to bear societal stigmatization, the psychological effects on their lives, sons, and families and may be for generations”