No to Oppression against Women Initiative

The No to Oppression against Women Initiative, also known in Arabic as Mubadarat La Liqahr al-Nisa', is a Sudanese women's rights group formed in 2009. It emerged in the context of public opposition to the use of Sudan's public-order and morality regulations against women, particularly after journalist Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein was arrested with other women for wearing trousers at a Khartoum restaurant. The protest surrounding Hussein's case supplied the slogan from which the initiative took its name: “No to oppression against women.” The initiative's work has combined public advocacy with practical support for women facing prosecution, detention, harassment, or other rights violations. Its stated activities have included monitoring abuses, issuing public statements, organising workshops, arranging awareness and advocacy campaigns, providing pro bono legal assistance, supporting victims during court proceedings, visiting women in prison, and helping address specific material needs. These activities positioned the group as both a feminist advocacy network and a source of direct assistance within Sudan's restrictive political and legal environment. During the government of Omar al-Bashir, the initiative challenged the impact of public-order enforcement and broader restrictions on civic activity. In 2014, security authorities arrested 16 of its members while they were calling for the release of Mariam al-Mahdi, a senior National Umma Party figure. In 2016, the group reported documenting large-scale prosecutions and flogging sentences imposed on women under the Public Order Act. It also used seminars, cultural events, and other forms of public education as tools of resistance. In early 2018, several members were summoned for interrogation during a wider crackdown on human-rights activists. The initiative became especially visible during the 2018–2019 Sudanese Revolution. It was one of the feminist networks associated with the Forces of Freedom and Change alliance, alongside the Women of Sudanese Civic and Political Groups. These networks helped coordinate protest activity and advocated for women's participation in the political transition that followed the fall of al-Bashir. The initiative's role reflected the importance of women in the revolutionary movement while also highlighting the gap between women's participation in street mobilisation and their representation in formal institutions. During the 39-month transitional period, the initiative continued to press for gender-inclusive accountability. On 22 October 2019, member Ihsan Fagiri criticised the composition of the commission investigating the Khartoum massacre because it consisted only of men. She argued that women needed representation because women had been among those killed, allegedly thrown into the Nile, or subjected to sexual violence during the crackdown. The initiative is therefore associated with rights monitoring, legal support, feminist mobilisation, opposition to discriminatory public-order enforcement, and demands for women's meaningful participation in Sudan's justice and political processes. Publicly available reference material does not establish a current operating status, formal corporate structure, commercial products, or a dedicated official website.

The initiative was created in 2009 after the arrest of journalist Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein and 12 other women at a Khartoum restaurant for wearing trousers. The arrests were treated by judicial authorities as violations of Sudan's Sharia-based public-order rules. At a 4 August 2009 trial, approximately 200 activists demonstrated against the proceedings. Riot police dispersed the protest with tear gas, shields, and sticks, while the wider controversy recalled earlier cases in which women had been flogged for similar alleged violations. A protest banner bearing the phrase “No to oppression against women” became the source of the initiative's name. From its formation, the group combined feminist advocacy with direct support. It monitored violations, attended court hearings, assisted victims, released statements, organised workshops and cultural activities, arranged legal representation, visited women in prison, and helped provide resources for women with urgent needs. Its work addressed both individual cases and the broader legal and social systems that exposed women to discriminatory enforcement. The initiative operated under significant political pressure during Omar al-Bashir's rule. In August 2014, security forces arrested 16 members while they were campaigning for the release of Mariam al-Mahdi, vice-president of the National Umma Party and daughter of former prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi. In 2016, the organisation reported that it had documented 15,000 women sentenced to flogging among 45,000 prosecutions under the Public Order Act. It responded through seminars, awareness work, and cultural resistance festivals. In early 2018, four members—Rashida Shamseldein, Ihsan Fagiri, Najlaa Norin, and Gomaria Omer—were summoned for interrogation during a broader crackdown on activists. The group became a prominent participant in the feminist organising surrounding the 2018–2019 Sudanese Revolution. Alongside the Women of Sudanese Civic and Political Groups, it was part of the wider women's rights movement associated with the Forces of Freedom and Change alliance. The alliance helped coordinate opposition protests and negotiate with the Transitional Military Council. The initiative's participation demonstrated the central role women played in the revolution and kept women's rights on the agenda during negotiations over Sudan's transition. The organisation continued its advocacy during the 39-month transitional phase. On 22 October 2019, Ihsan Fagiri objected to the absence of women from the commission investigating the Khartoum massacre. She argued that women needed a formal role because women had been killed, allegedly thrown into the Nile, or raped during the violence, and that three women who had survived rape had reportedly died by suicide. Her intervention connected gender representation to the credibility of transitional justice. Available reference material records the initiative's activities through this period but does not establish a later organisational structure, leadership succession, commercial status, or current operational condition.

• 2019

  Advocacy for women's representation in massacre investigation

  [1]No to Oppression against Women Initiativeen.wikipedia.org

  Ihsan Fagiri publicly criticised the men-only composition of the Khartoum massacre investigation commission.

• 2018

  Members summoned for interrogation

  [1]No to Oppression against Women Initiativeen.wikipedia.org

  Four members were summoned during a crackdown on Sudanese human-rights activists.

• 2018

  Role in the Sudanese Revolution

  [1]No to Oppression against Women Initiativeen.wikipedia.org

  The initiative joined feminist networks that contributed to the Forces of Freedom and Change alliance and the revolutionary mobilisation.

• 2016

  Public-order prosecutions documented

  [1]No to Oppression against Women Initiativeen.wikipedia.org

  The initiative reported documenting thousands of prosecutions and flogging sentences imposed on women under the Public Order Act.

• 2014

  Sixteen members arrested during advocacy action

  [1]No to Oppression against Women Initiativeen.wikipedia.org

  National security authorities arrested 16 members who were calling for the release of Mariam al-Mahdi.

• 2009

  Initiative created

  [1]No to Oppression against Women Initiativeen.wikipedia.org

  The group was formed after the arrest and prosecution of Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein and other women over wearing trousers in Khartoum.

A Sudanese feminist civil-society initiative focused on documenting violations against women, legal and practical assistance, public advocacy, and women's participation in political accountability.

• 2018

  Interrogation summons during activist crackdown

  Four members were summoned for interrogation during a wider crackdown on human-rights activists.

  Source

• 2014

  Arrest of initiative members by national security authorities

  Sixteen members were arrested while campaigning for the release of Mariam al-Mahdi, illustrating the pressure placed on the organisation during the al-Bashir period.

  Source

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• 2019Gender-inclusive Khartoum massacre investigation

  Sudan

  Ihsan Fagiri called for women to be included in the commission investigating the Khartoum massacre and highlighted gender-specific harms reported during the crackdown.

  Outcome. The statement made gender representation and documentation of sexual violence central concerns in transitional accountability debates.

  Source
• 2018Women's participation in the Sudanese Revolution

  Sudan

  The initiative worked with women's civic and political networks connected to the Forces of Freedom and Change during protests and negotiations with the Transitional Military Council.

  Outcome. The networks helped place women's rights and participation within the revolutionary and transitional political agenda.

  Source
• 2016Public-order violations monitoring and cultural resistance

  Sudan

  The initiative documented prosecutions and flogging sentences under the Public Order Act and used seminars and cultural festivals to raise awareness and resist discriminatory enforcement.

  Outcome. The activity generated documentation and public advocacy; the available source does not identify a specific policy result.

  Source
• 2014Release of Mariam al-Mahdi

  Sudan

  Members advocated for the release of Mariam al-Mahdi, a National Umma Party leader, before 16 members were arrested by security authorities.

  Outcome. The source records the arrests but does not state the final outcome of the release campaign.

  Source
• 2009Public-order law and Lubna al-Hussein case advocacy

  Sudan

  The campaign opposed the prosecution of women under public-order rules and supported the broader demand represented by the slogan that became the initiative's name.

  Outcome. The protests helped establish the initiative's identity and public advocacy focus, although the available source does not specify a definitive legal outcome.

  Source

• 2018

  Participate in revolutionary coalition politicsStrategy

  Background

  The 2018–2019 uprising created a broad opposition movement and a debate over the political role of women.

  Action taken

  The initiative worked through feminist networks associated with the Forces of Freedom and Change and engaged in protest coordination and transitional advocacy.

  Aftermath

  Its participation helped connect women's rights demands with the wider revolutionary and democratic transition agenda.

  Source

• 2009

  Adopt a rights-monitoring and legal-support modelStrategy

  Background

  The initiative formed amid controversy over public-order prosecutions and the treatment of women in Sudan's courts and detention system.

  Action taken

  It combined monitoring, public statements, court support, pro bono legal assistance, workshops, prison visits, and practical aid.

  Aftermath

  This approach made the group both an advocacy network and a direct-support organisation for women facing rights violations.

  Source

1. 1No to Oppression against Women Initiativeen.wikipedia.org