by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the
Commission and Council
(12 February
2002)
Subject: Sentence of death by stoning in Sudan
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According to
information from Human Rights Watch, on 8 December 2001, a criminal court in
the town of Nyala in southern Sudan sentenced 18-year-old Abok Alfa Akok, who
was pregnant at the time, to death by stoning for adultery, whereas the man
with whom she had sexual relations was not convicted because of a lack of
evidence. The Sudanese Government, it should be recalled, ratified the
International Convention on Civil and Political Rights in March 1986 which
prohibits the carrying out of the death penalty on a pregnant woman. Will the Commission
exert pressure on the Sudanese Government to honour its international
commitments, refrain from carrying out the death penalty by stoning and hold
a new trial in accordance with legal procedures which ensure that Ms Abok
Alfa Akok has legal representation in court and recourse to the language that
she understands? |