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Activist faces death for dumping Islam

by Arinze Ago

Mr. Mohamed Al-Dosogy, an activist who tried to dump Islam for atheism, is in trouble in Sudan where authorities ordered his arrest for apostasy which attracts death penalty.

Article 126 of Sudan’s 1991 Penal Code imposes the death penalty on offenders found guilty of apostasy.

The section defined apostasy as a crime that is committed by any Muslim who advocates for the renunciation of the creed of Islam or publicly renounces his or her faith.

He was released on Friday by the police on the order of a judge, APA has said.

The Sudanese police released the human rights activist, facing an apostasy case after attempting to abandon Islam for atheism.

The police said Mohamed Al-Dosogy was mentally challenged and could not be punished for his alleged crime.

On Monday police in Khartoum arrested Al-dosogy two days after he requested a judge to allow him to change his religion to atheism, a move that was tantamount to renouncing his faith.

He had written to the Sudanese court explaining why he wanted to change his religious status after which he was arrested and charged with apostasy.

However, a judge on Thursday issued a decision dismissing the case and ordering his release.

The judge said the defendant had been examined by a psychiatric and it was determined that he is mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Friday, the defence team rejected the court’s decision, saying the defendant never asked the court to submit him to a psychiatric test.

The case has attracted social media comments as Reem‏ @ReemWrites tweeted “ If Ahmed Al-Desouqi’s case goes to court, he will face the death penalty under article 126 of the criminal act (on Apostasy)

A woman, Marian Yahia, got the death sentence last year on a similar charge, but activists are calling for her release.

A tweet by Ola Diab, said of the woman: “This is outrageous and disgusting! – #Sudan woman gets the death sentence for apostasy.”

“When we fail to condemn evil when we see it. It persists forever,” Nduka Uzuh, also tweeted.

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