Communication 471/14 - Meriam Yahia Ibrahim and three others vs. The Republic of Sudan SUMMARY OF THE COMPLAINT: 1. The Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Secretariat) received this Complaint on 2 June 2014 on behalf of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim (the first Victim), Daniel Wani (the second Victim), Martin Wani (the third Victim) and Maya Wani (the fourth Victim), from the Redres~i:Jrust (RE~}RESS),The African Centre of Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS),The Sudanje~~:Organizationfor Development and Rehabilitation (SODR), The Sudanese '.aft Rights Initiative (S!fRI), and the Justice Centre for Advocacy and Legal Con LC),'lj ..... ::collec' ely referred to as the Complainants. 2. dan, a State Party to the African ;~harter).l 3. The Complainants allege.that the first.'Y:~ctimwa n in 1987 to a Muslim Sudanese father and a Christia~ Ethiopian mother, :married Christian, the second Victim in Khartoum in De ' B~r2011 and,g&¥e'birth to:~:;~onna~'g Martin (the third Victim) on 25 October 20 ; d to a daughtei'1~n,~ined Maya Wani (the fourth Victim) on 27 May 2014. 4. According to tIt ....llegations, the first ~f~~m was arrested on 15 September 2013 by the Public Order Poli in Haj Yousef, a distrIct in Khartoum. She was charged with adultery because of her marriage to a Christian, the second Victim in the case. The charges were based on<'tp~",allegatiG>'<'by Mr. Als~i Alhadi, who claimed to be the first victim's :':V~~ ,.? 'w;~; brother; The Cbmplainan 'Stat~Jh~.ilie Prosecutor presented an indictment of adultery before th,e Public Order Coufi"il\,Baj Yousef and argued that the first Victim was a Muslim 1)ecC!use b~~dath~t was a Muslim. Hence, her marriage to the second Victim is void. It is sta'ted tMat the first Victim opposed the charges and allegations, saying that she was a Christian and had not committed adultery. The Complainantsfurther allege that on 11November 2013, the Attorney General's Office confirmed the charges of adultery on the grounds stated by the Prosecutor and transferred the case to the Second Magistrate Court. The Complainants aver that during the hearing held on 15 January 2014 at the Second Magistrate Court, the two men who claimed to be the first Victim's brothers testified. Despite the defense put forth by the first Victim, the court disregarded her. The Complainants also allege that the first Victim was subjected to medical examination against her will simply because her purpo e.d br.gthers, who levied charges against her, claimed that she was mentally ilL It i . (:'Pflfr~t'l~24 o tte:.AR/4r ,c~" February 2014, the medical report confirmed that she had no mental' esS~ 0..0\ ~ l ~ <fl,' -', 5. '-_ -":~;>. "i),5' _, ~\ 1 Sudan ratified the African Charter on 18 February 1986. 1 [] ~ .~ Z <! 1 III 0 i:! o 4l)o ~ (~--;~ A ~\ o: :r I ~ :)~ p,tl-I \,... ) _:...~ I ,~ ~""~ '\if. / ~..u,\ ~/ ,,/'e . , '/'\"Mf E 1 rcC . .......... ..... .. ~, . , ~ 'I: r A: 1:1....:· ". .. _ _, • ::J_.