Sudan’s Turabi to be freed after peace deal-lawyer

KHARTOUM, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Jailed Sudanese Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi is expected to be released as soon as a southern peace deal is signed and emergency law lifted, his party’s lawyer said on Thursday.

Sudan has been under a state of emergency since 1999 but the government promised it would be lifted after signing a peace deal to end a civil war in the south. Southern rebels and the government are due to sign the final deal on Jan. 9.

Kamal Omar told Reuters a group of lawyers had petitioned the constitutional court to release Turabi, who has been held without charge since September after the government accused his Popular Congress opposition party of attempting a coup.

“The constitutional court said he was being held under the state of emergency law,” Omar said, adding the court had refused a request to release Turabi on Wednesday.

“He will be released when the state of emergency is lifted, because there will be no more legislation to hold him under.”

Omar said he would on Thursday visit 21 members of Sudan’s armed forces who were charged in a military court on Wednesday with trying to overthrow the government. He said a guilty verdict could mean the death penalty for the soldiers.

He said the case against them would begin on Saturday, adding that a small number of them were from Turabi’s party.

Omar is also on the defence team for another group of 79 men, which also includes members of Turabi’s party and who are being tried on charges of plotting to overthrow the government in September. This group is being tried in a civilian court.