Sudanese woman jailed in trouser case freed

Khartoum: Lubna Hussain, a Sudanese woman jailed for wearing ‘indecent' trousers was freed on Tuesday after the journalist union paid a $209 fine on her behalf.

Lubna was convicted on indecency charges on Monday in a landmark case, and was ordered to pay a fine or face a month in jail, but was spared a penalty of 40 lashes.

Lubna, arrested at a Khartoum party in July along with 12 other women, said after the verdict that she would refuse to pay the fine, preferring to go to jail instead.

Mohiuddin Titawi, chair of the journalist union, did not explain why his group had paid the fine. His organisation is seen by many journalists as having links to the government.