Amira Osman Hamed

Amira Osman Hamed is a Sudanese women’s rights activist and co-founder of No to Oppression against Women Initiative.

Early Life Born in 1976 in Sudan, Amira Osman Hamed studied computer engineering. Under President Omar al-Bashir, she was arrested twice in 2013 for refusing to wear a headscarf that covered her hair, and in 2002 for wearing pants. These cases recall the case of journalist Loubna al-Hussein in 2009. Amira Osman Sudanese and international organizations mobilized to support her and she was released.

In April 2019, Omar el-Bashir was overthrown. A transition began towards a democratic regime. But it was interrupted by a new military coup in October 2021, bringing Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to power. Again, this regime imprisoned its opponents. Amira Osman was arrested by a police raid on her home in January 2022.

Award In 2022, she won the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.