Sudanese court sentences more 12 Darfur rebels to death

August 20, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — More 12 rebels were sentenced to death by a Sudanese court Wednesday over rebel attack on the Sudanese capital on May 10. Today’s verdict brings to 50 the number condemned to hang.

Amnesty International, joining her voice to UN envoy to Sudan and lawyers, criticised the lack of legal proceedings guarantees saying the defendants had access to the lawyers for the first time during the trial while they were tortured and forced to confess to crimes.

A Sudanese judge handed down death sentences against 12 people arrested following an attack by the Justice and Equality Movement on Khartoum and acquitted four other suspects.

Judge Hafez Ahmed Abdallah of Omdurman special court further transferred the case of four suspects to juvenile courts saying they were under the age of 18.

The judge declared them guilty under Sudanese criminal and counter-terrorism legislation of involvement in the May attack on Khartoum.

Adam Bakr, a defence lawyer criticised the “expected sentences” and said he will appeal it.

The coordinator of the defence team, Amin Mekki Maddani regretted that four out of the seven judges on the Constitutional Court had voted to reject their challenge against the special courts on Tuesday.

“We believe that the terrorism law is unconstitutional, that it is against the bill of rights, against international conventions and against the code of criminal procedure,” he told Reuters

Last Monday Amnesty International accused Sudan of detaining hundreds of Darfuri without charges saying authorities prepare try them in what it termed “sham courts”. The organisation urged Khartoum to reveal the whereabouts of all individuals held in the context of the 10 May investigation.

More than 220 people were killed and hundreds injured when Darfur rebels launched the attack on the Khartoum suburb of Omdurman in May.

Yesterday JEM released a statement denouncing the death verdicts declaring it demonstrates the military approach adopted by government despite “peace talk rhetoric”. The rebel movement further threatened to repeat its attack on Khartoum.

According to the United Nations, up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million have fled their homes since the conflict in Darfur erupted in February, 2003. Sudan says 10,000 have been killed.

(ST)