19-year-old Sudanese woman stabbed husband as he raped her, court sentences her to death

Photo: Twitter/hassan_izz

A 19-year-old Sudanese woman Noura Hussein was sentenced to death for fatally stabbing her husband after he allegedly tried to rape her. When Hussein was forced to marry at the age of 15, she ran away from her home and sought refuge with her aunt for three years. Her father tricked her to return home and handed her over to her husband's family.

Her husband tried to consummate the marriage but she repeatedly refused his advances. Enraged over the same, her husband took the help of his relatives who held her down while he raped her. Dr Adil Mohamed Al-Imam, one of Hussein's lawyers, said the husband's brother and two cousins tried to convince her to consummate the marriage but when she denied, she was slapped and ordered into the room. One held her chest and head, the others held her legs.

A day later, her husband tried to force himself upon her again but this time, Hussein grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him to death. When the woman sought the help of her parents, they turned her into the police.

Noura Hussein's case has outraged human rights activists across the world. In Sudan, the legal age of marriage is just 10 and marital rape is legal.

When Hussein was sentenced to death on Thursday, there was outcry by her supporters in the courtroom in Omdurman, Sudan. Her husband's family was given an option to pardon her and settle for a financial compensation, but they refused a settlement and requested that she be executed instead. Hussein's legal team has 15 days to appeal.

Her case has left many aghast with people flowing in to support her with hashtags #JusticeforNoura and #SaveNoura. A petition on change.org has also been started to get justice for the teenager.