A Khartoum criminal court on Tuesday convicted Christian girl Rehab Omar Kakum for violating the public indecency law (article 152) and fined her 500 SDG, but did not impose a feared flogging penalty.

Al Fateh Hussein, member of the defense team of the accused girls told Radio Tamazuj that the court charged Rehab Omar for violating the article 152 of the Sudanese penal code although there was no clear evidence presented.

He pointed out that the judge had adopted testimonies of the prosecution witness only in his final ruling on the case. Hussein revealed that the court also rejected a request by the defense team to hear defense witnesses. The lawyer accused the presiding judge of denying the right of the convicted girl inside the courtroom.

About 12 Christian girls aged between 17 and 23 from the war-torn Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan were reportedly wearing either trousers or miniskirts. They were stopped by police in front of the Evangelical Baptist Church where they had attended a ceremony on June 25.

Two of the girls were later released by police. The remaining 10 are still facing charges under article 152 of the Sudanese penal code of the 1991.

The article gives the Public Order Police extensive powers to arrest any person for indecent dress, and the punishment if found guilty is 40 lashes, or a fine, or both.