Woman Fined for Wearing Pants

A Sudanese woman found guilty of violating her country's decency laws by wearing pants in public was fined the equivalent of $200 on Monday, but a court in Khartoum spared Lubna Hussein (pictured, center) a whipping of 40 lashes.

The 34-year-old widowed journalist defiantly refused to pay the fine, which resulted in her being sent to jail, according to the Associated Press. A committee formed for her release may pay the fine and free her soon.

An international outcry greeted the prospect of the potential lashing as prescribed by Islamic law for dressing indecently. Protesters and some Western diplomats, none representing the United States, appeared outside the court on Monday, reported The New York Times. More than 40 women were detained by police and later released, with at least one reportedly beaten.

Hussein, who recently worked in communications for the United Nations in Sudan, was arrested on July 12 along with 12 other women who wore trousers at a cafe.