As was entirely predictable, today a Sudanese court tried to save face – saying it would not flog Lubna Hussein for wearing trousers (something it didn’t want to do given the global attention on her case) but trying to maintain that she was still “guilty” by fining her 500 Sudanese pounds. No doubt they hoped she would be happy to be spared a flogging, would pay the fine and that would be that.
Alas, they don’t know Lubna.
I just spoke to her by phone. She wants to refuse to pay the fine. This makes perfect sense since it is the law in its entirety, not just the aspect of its punishment, that she is challenging. Under Sudanese law failure to pay the fine will land Lubna in prison. But it seems she is willing to test if the government will really do this to a world-famous “trouser lady” . . . Stay tuned.
[…] so fast! According to Bec Hamilton (who guest wrote the previous item about Lubna on my blog), Lubna says she will refuse to pay the […]