Sudanese opposition leader's daughter jailed over protests

The deputy head of Sudan’s opposition Umma Party was sentenced to a week in prison on Sunday (March 10) for demonstrating against the president, a party official and a lawyer said, as activists protested against emergency laws imposed last month, Reuters reported.

Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi, the daughter of Umma leader Sadiq al-Mahdi, was among a group of 16 detained while demonstrating in front of Umma’s headquarters in Omdurman, across the Nile from the center of the capital, Khartoum, said defense lawyer Khalafallah Hussein.

The court also fined her 2,000 Sudanese pounds ($42) for participating in the protest, which called on President Omar al-Bashir to step down, said Mohamed al-Mahdi Hassan, head of the party’s political bureau.

Another of Sadiq al-Mahdi’s daughters, Rabah, was also arrested and fined 500 pounds, according to Hussein.

On Saturday, nine female Sudanese protesters were sentenced to 20 lashes and one month in prison for rioting, the alliance said.

Bashir declared a state of emergency last month after weeks of demonstrations, the most sustained challenge to his rule since he came to power in the coup that overthrew Sadiq al-Mahdi in 1989.