Charges of indecency against 24 women who were caught wearing trousers at a party near the Sudanese capital of Khartoum have been dropped.
The morality police in the country raided the gathering on Wednesday at a party in El Mamoura, south of the capital of Khartoum, where the women were present, the Dabanga reports.
If convicted, the women could have faced punishment of 40 lashes and a fine for wearing “an obscene outfit”.
“The party took place in a closed hall in a building in El Mamoura,” activist Amira Osman said. “The girls were arrested for wearing trousers, despite obtaining a permit from the authorities.”
The El Shargi District Court dropped charges against all the women Sunday.
According to rights activists, tens of thousands of women are arrested and flogged for indecency every year, and laws can be applied arbitrarily.
The law in Muslim-majority Sudan against wearing trousers and short or tight skirts discriminates against Christians, the activists say.
Traditionally, women in Sudan wear loose flowing robes.
Campaigner Amira told Netherlands-based Radio Dabanga the public order act violated women’s rights.
“The party took place in a closed hall in a building in El Mamoura [south of Khartoum],” she said.
“The girls were arrested for wearing trousers, despite obtaining a permit from the authorities.”
“Indecent or immoral dress” was outlawed in Sudan in 1991 and under Article 152, Public Order Police can arrest anyone who isn’t dressed appropriately. The law applies to “indecent acts” in public, wearing an “obscene outfit” or “causing an annoyance to public feelings”.
