Sudan probes 'whipping video of woman by police'

Sudan's judiciary investigating brutal whipping of young woman after shocking images are circulated on the Internet.

KHARTOUM: Sudan's judiciary is investigating the brutal whipping of a young woman, allegedly by uniformed police, after shocking images were circulated on the Internet, media reports said on Monday.

"An investigation was launched into the lashing of a young woman as seen on a website, and the implementation of sanctions that go against what is outlined in the criminal code," the judiciary said in a statement published in the media.

A video posted on YouTube reportedly shows men in powder-blue uniforms as worn by Sudanese police whipping a woman all over her body as she kneels, crying and moaning.

Sections of Sudan's 1991 Criminal Code, imposed two years after President Omar al-Bashir came to power in a military-backed coup, mandate lashings for "indecent" behaviour, adultery or running a brothel.

The Sudan Women's Association had requested over the weekend that the authorities investigate the case, calling it an "insult" to the Sudanese people and a "humiliation" for its women.

Last year Lubna Hussein, a journalist-turned activist, went to court to challenge a ruling that women wearing trousers were being "indecent," a charge under which thousands of people were flogged.

Hussein herself was sentenced to a fine of 200 Sudanese pounds (66 dollars) for wearing pants, but she was not whipped.