Criminal Act

The Criminal Act of Sudan, which replaces the 1983 Penal Code, criminalizes common law offenses (that overlap with breaches of the Geneva Conventions), including murder, homicide, wounding, rape, kidnapping, forced labor, and destruction of religious sites. The bill is organized into two main sections. The first section outlines foundational principles, including provisional guidelines, law enforcement procedures, criteria for criminal responsibility. The second section details specific offenses and their corresponding penalties.

Regarding the applicability of this law to children, Article 9 states, “A child who has not attained puberty shall not be deemed to have committed an offence; provided that care and reform measures set out in this Act may be applied to a child who has completed seven years of age, as the court may deem fix.”