The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) continues to closely monitor the cases of two Sudanese women who were sentenced to death by stoning in separate cases in Blue Nile and East Nile, Sudan, given the serious human rights implications and Sudan’s international legal obligations.
Several days after the original publication, General Abdel Fattah Al‑Burhan reportedly requested that the Judiciary review the sentences imposed on the two women. This development marked a notable shift in the trajectory of the cases and raised renewed attention to the legal and procedural issues involved.
On February 24, 2026, the Court of Appeal reversed a criminal court decision issued in Blue Nile State against Ms. Fatima (Pseudonym), a Sudanese woman who had been convicted of adultery under Article 146 of the Sudanese Criminal Act and sentenced to death by stoning. The appellate panel of three judges unanimously found that the trial court failed to follow proper legal procedures, including reliance on retracted confessions.
According to the appeal submissions, the accused withdrew her earlier confession, stating that she had reconciled with her husband and that the child referenced in the proceedings was his. Under Sudanese evidence law, such circumstances can invalidate a confession and undermine the evidentiary basis for a conviction. The Court of Appeal therefore remanded the matter to the trial court for retrial. Should the prosecution fail to present sufficient admissible evidence, the case is expected to be dismissed.
The recurrence of stoning sentences, even if reversed on appeal, highlights the urgent need for comprehensive reform of Sudan’s Criminal Act of 1991 to:
1. Abolish Article 146’s stoning penalty and ensure all punishments conform with international human rights standards;
2. Strengthen procedural guarantees, including the right to counsel at all stages of criminal proceedings; and
3. Ensure equality before the law, irrespective of gender, in the enforcement of criminal statutes