14 years, lashes, and fine for rape of West Darfur teachers

On Sunday, El Geneina Criminal Court sentenced four men convicted of raping two West Darfur teachers to imprisonment, lashes, and a fine. The sentence has been branded ‘too lenient’ by Darfur lawyers.

The men, aged between 18 and 21, belonged to a group of gunmen who attacked a number of teachers at a school hostel in El Addar, ten kilometres north-east of El Geneina, on January 31 this year. They seized two of the teachers, dragged them outside, and repeatedly raped them.

The following days, people in the West Darfur capital staged a number of protests against the repeated sexual violence in the area, and called on the authorities to bring the perpetrators to trial.

Policemen and residents apprehended two suspects at a nomad settlement north-east of the town. The two others were later detained outside West Darfur. Four of them were charged with the gang-rape.

Hashim Abdelnabi El Sheikh, head of the indictment team, told Radio Dabanga that “the four defendants were convicted of rape, robbery, and possession of weapons and ammunition. They were each sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment, 100 lashes, and a fine of SDG 2,000 (about $300)”.

He said the victims could seek compensation after the appeal stage is completed.

The Darfur Bar Association criticised the sentence as too lenient, and commented in a statement on Monday that “the sentence does not meet the severity of the crime”.

The Darfur lawyers affirmed their solidarity with the families of the victims. They “appreciated their courage and the active follow-up of the prosecution proceedings”.