KHARTOUM - Amira Osman Hamed, the Sudanese woman charged with refusing to wear a headscarf in public, is still to hear the outcome of her prosecution.
Following her hearing last Monday, the prosecution has yet to decide whether additional hearings will take place.
Hamed is accused of being dressed indecently, a crime punishable by up to 40 lashes.andnbsp;
In August, 35-year-old engineer Hamed and her sister were stopped by a policeman.
"He asked me, 'Who are you and where do you come from? I am a man talking to you and you should cover your hair!' I refused to cover my hair,” Hamed said.
Her alleged crime was in violation of article 152 of Sudan's 1991 penal code:andnbsp; “Whoever commits in a public place an indecent act or manner contrary to public morality, or wears an immoral dress, shall be punished with whipping, not exceeding forty lashes."
Human rights activists say this article is too vague.
"The application of Article 152 from the Criminal Law is wrong because of a misunderstanding of the history of Islamic principles in regard to dress. There is nothing in Islam determining a certain type of Islamic dress,” advocateandnbsp; Al-Muiz Hadra insisted.
Activists expect the court to terminate proceedings and to review the act.
Amnesty International and the United Nations are pushing for the penalty to be abolished.
But President Omar al-Bashir supports floggings.