Thursday, July 30, 2009

Join Cause on Facebook to Support Lubna: We All together to Support the Sudanese Journalist Lubnaصفاً واحداً لمناصرة الصحفية السودانية لب

Further to yesterday's blog post here at Sudan Watch [Wednesday, July 29, 2009:  Shocking photo of Lubna Ahmed Hussein wearing "indecent" trousers in Sudan] I have today added my name to the 1,117 fans at Lubna Hussein's Facebook page

Also, I posted the following message on my wall at Facebook (where I rarely visit or update because most of my time online is taken up with reading and blogging):
Here's hoping people will help generate publicity for Sudanese journalist Lubna Ahmed Hussein in support of her courageous attempt to change a dress code law in Sudan that recently resulted in 10 women in Sudan being lashed for wearing trousers. If Ms Hussein is found guilty of wearing trousers (considered as "indecent" clothing) she faces the prospect of 40 lashings. Further details here below.

Sudan Watch, Wednesday, July 29, 2009:  Shocking photo of Lubna Ahmed Hussein wearing "indecent" trousers in Sudan - In the news today (see here below) the BBC's James Copnall in Khartoum (click here to see his video report) says Sudanese journalist Lubna Ahmed Hussein, who works for UN mission in Sudan and faces the prospect of 40 lashings if found guilty for wearing "indecent" clothing. [Facebook hyperlinked the blog post]
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Join the Cause to Support Lubna

Send Lubna a Message via Facebook

Click here to join the Cause to Support Lubna:
We All together to Support the Sudanese Journalist Lubnaصفاً واحداً لمناصرة الصحفية السودانية لبنى

Seeking to make Ms. Lubna Case issue of Public Opinion نسعى لجعل قضية الأستاذة لبنى قضية رأي عام

Suggest to Friends, View Updates, Subscribe via SMS.
Send a message to Ms Hussein via her other Facebook page: Lubna Ahmed Hussein

Basic info from the page:
Lubna Ahmed Hussein
Location:  Khartoum, Sudan, 11111 - 429
Phone: 00249122965011

Website: We All together to Support the Sudanese Journalist Lubnaصفاً واحداً لمناصرة الصحفية السودانية لبنى

Personal Information:
Lubna Ahmed Hussein, a well known Female Journalist in Sudan. She writes a regular column "Men Talk" in Alsahafa newspaper, one of most popular Arabic daily newspaper, and founded by her late husband Abdul Rahman Mukhtar. In her column she criticizes courageously the situations in Sudan as well as the orientations of the Sudanese sitting government and the militant fanatic Islamists alike.

Lubna currently work as the spokesperson office of the United Nations Mission in Sudan and as well public... (read more)

Contact Info
Email: lubbona@hotmail.com
Photos
"My Clothes when the Public Order Police Arrest me" by Lubna Ahmed Hussein.

"My Clothes when the Public Order Police Arrest me" by Lubna Ahmed Hussein

Photo: "I was wearing this clothes when he Public Order Police Arrest me and accused me as "dressed, contrary to public sense". 

Lubna Ahmed Hussein
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Here is some news just in from Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 30 July 2009:
Politicians and Lawyers Condemn Journalist's Trousers Arrest
(Khartoum) – Following the arrest of a female journalist by the public order police in Khartoum, a number of prominent politicians and lawyers are calling for a revision of the Public Order Act. The journalist, Lubna Ahmed Hussein, was detained by the authorities because she was wearing trousers.

Article 152 of the Act stipulates that: “any person who acts or behaves shamefully in a public place, or dresses indecently, in a way that could disturb the feelings of the public or violate public morality, will be prosecuted with not more that 40 lashes or a fine, or both.”

Sudan Radio Service spoke to some of the politicians and lawmakers who came to the Khartoum court on Monday out of solidarity with the accused journalist.

The SPLM deputy secretary-general, Yasir Arman, described the public order law as a violation of the interim constitution.

[Yasir Arman]: “We consider the public order act as a law which violates human rights and violates the constitution itself. It is not compatible with the constitution and it should be canceled. We had discussed this issue with the NCP in our last session, in the presence of the US Special Envoy Scott Gration. We are calling for the cancellation of this law and we think that this trial is a violation of all the rights and freedoms which are stipulated in the constitution.”

The leader of the opposition Umma National party, Dr. Mariyam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, said that the law discriminates against women.

[Dr. Mariyam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi]: “I will talk as a Muslim and a politician. As a Muslim, I think this is an extreme violation of my religion and it intimidates and underestimates women. As a politician, I think this is a violation of the constitution, but no wonder, this government is used to violating the constitution and continues to do so without shame.”

The leader of the Democratic Force Movement, Hala Mohamed Abdulhalim, also spoke to Sudan Radio Service.

[Hala Mohamed Abdulhalim]: "The accusation against the journalist Lubna, under what is called the Public Order Act, is a violation of the constitution and the CPA. It is one of the acts that was supposed to be canceled under the terms of the Cairo agreement, together with the Media Act and the National Security Act. This law is being used only against women, we have never heard of a man being arrested because he was accused of dressing indecently.”

Hala Mohammed Abdulhalim was speaking to Sudan Radio Service from Khartoum.
Click on label here below - Sudan women 'lashed for trousers'  - to see related reports and latest updates.

Snapshot of Google's newsreel on Thursday, 30 July 2009, 19:08 GMT UK:

Full coverage of articlesimagesquotes and videos


UPDATE: Thursday, 30 July 2009, 20:26 GMT UK:
Thanks to CNN for linking to Sudan Watch. See CNN's video report published today.


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