Trial of detained opposition leader transferred to new venue
August 25, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The defence team of the jailed leader of the Sudanese Congress Party (ScoP), Ibrahim al-Sheikh, announced that the case has been referred from the West Kordofan capital city of al-Foula to a court in the town of al-Nuhood.
The judge also noted that all witnesses are present in al-Nuhood and as such sent the case to the chief justice in the state who concurred with the ruling and moved the case back to al-Nuhood.
Al-Sheikh has been held by Sudanese authorities since last June after speaking at a symposium in al-Nuhood in which he denounced the government militia known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and accused its fighters of committing abuses against civilians in conflict zones. He faces charges that could hand him the death penalty if convicted.
He was kept in al-Nuhood jail but transferred to the Police Hospital in Khartoum this month following a significant deterioration in his health.
Sudanese officials said that physicians decided to perform surgery on al-Sheikh but that the latter refused.
The opposition leader has reportedly insisted on picking his medical team stating his concern for his safety if he was to allow doctors selected by authorities to perform surgery on him. He was moved to al-Foula jail afterwards.
The SCoP rejected all the bargains proposed by authorities in North and West Kordofan and refused to make any written apology before to release its leader.
(ST)