Opposition leader Turabi accused of conspiracy, inciting hatred against state

KHARTOUM, Sudan, April 3, 2004 (AP) — Sudanese authorities on Saturday accused detained opposition leader and Islamic fundamentalist Hassan Turabi of inciting sedition, sabotage, hatred against the state and undermining the regime.

The official Sudan Media Center said in a statement that the government has lodged a complaint against Turabi, who was detained Wednesday after police also arrested members of his Popular National Congress and some military officers in an alleged plot to overthrow President Omar el-Bashir.

Turabi is expected to be questioned further regarding the accusations before authorities decide whether he should face court.

The head of Turabi’s legal team, Ali Mahmoud Hassanain, criticized the government’s decision to arrest Turabi and called for a “fair, just and open trial” if the case goes to court.

“We are all against this detention, in which the government resorted to using state of emergency-like (powers),” Hassanain told The Associated Press.

The media center said a Khartoum criminal law attorney will handle the case against Turabi, which marks the first time the government has accused the detained opposition leader of involvement in specific criminal acts.

The government has arrested about 30 people in relation to the alleged coup plan, including Turabi, senior members of his party, policemen and soldiers. Authorities also closed the party’s Khartoum headquarters and provincial offices.

Turabi’s party has denied any involvement in the alleged coup attempt. The party said the alleged the plot involved members of the security forces in the western province of Darfur, where local tribes have been in revolt since early 2003.

Turabi was the main ideologue of the Islamic fundamentalist government that was set up after el-Bashir seized power in 1989. The two men fell out in 1999 when el-Bashir accused Turabi, then the speaker of parliament, of trying to grab power and stripped him of his position.

After signing a memorandum in 2001 with the rebels fighting a two decade-long civil war with the government in the country’s south, Turabi was placed under house arrest for two years before being released last October amid a reform drive by el-Bashir.

But just a month later, the party was accused of fomenting the trouble in Sudan ‘s western Darfur region.