Noura Hussein, the Sudanese woman whose conviction for killing her rapist husband four years ago caused an international outcry, said she is “disappointed” that promises of support have not materialized.
Speaking to the Guardian after her release from prison last year, Hussein, who was 19 when she was convicted, said she felt let down by the people and organizations that had campaigned for her release and who had offered her support.
“Yes, they helped me to get an easier sentence at the end, but they also gave me false promises. Many said that they will help me with my education or to travel abroad. None of that has happened.”
Hussein was sentenced to death for premeditated murder in 2018, after stabbing her violent husband, whom she was forced to marry when she was 16.
Her conviction was quashed after a global campaign, backed by celebrities, including the model Naomi Campbell and actors Mira Sorvino, Emma Watson and Rose McGowan, as well as lobbying by two UN agencies and the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa. She was eventually convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison.