Lubna Hussein: Sudanese Tear-Gas Supporters at Pro-Pants Protest

In the continuing saga of Lubna Hussein -- the Sudanese woman charged with violating Islamic law by wearing pants in public -- police in Khartoum Tuesday sprayed tear gas and beat Hussein's supporters
who had gathered outside a courtroom with banners reading "No return to the dark ages" and "No to suppressing women." Like a few other high-profile human rights cases with strong women at the center, Hussein's trial has been delayed, this time until Sept. 7.Hussein, whose punishment for wearing pants could be up to 40 lashes, recently said that "This happened in Khartoum and under the eye . . . of media and all over the world. . . to a girl from Khartoum for only wearing trousers. . . What can be happening to women in Darfur?"

Violence in Darfur has displaced nearly 2.5 million people, and among other things, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been charged by the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity, including using rape as a weapon of war. Bashir remains comfortably ensconced in the country.

Last week, the U.S. envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, argued that "Peace will prevail in Darfur by the end of the year," and suggested people who have been displaced should start planning to return. Gration's comments have seen no shortage of criticism. Tribal leaders and human rights advocates have argued that conditions remain far too dicey for any returns, and have further accused Gration of naively cozying up to Bashir's regime with little chance for success.

This blowback comes alongside tension between Gration and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice, who has taken a much more aggressive approach toward the regime by asserting that Bashir's crimes amount to genocide, not "simply" war crimes.

What does this mean for Hussein's trial? U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon threw his hat into the ring last Friday, saying he was "deeply concerned" about her trial and that it might be a violation of international human rights.

It will be interesting to see whether carrots or sticks from the international community -- both tactics used in an attempt to move the Sudanese government forward on Darfur -- will be effective in Hussein's trial. If she is able to pull off the seemingly impossible -- single-handedly changing the governing law to allow women greater freedom -- perhaps there's much more hope yet.