Sudanese court delays again verdict in police murder case
July 2, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – A court in the Sudanese capital Wednesday has delayed for the second time its sentence on the case of a college student charged with murder for allegedly killing a police officer during protests at University of Khartoum (UofK).
Asim Omer, 21 years, is a student at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, UofK, and a member of the Conference of Independent Students (CIS), the student arm of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP).
He was arrested by the Sudanese security service and accused of killing a police officer who died after a hit by a Molotov cocktail during the protests in Khartoum in April 2016.
Last week, the Khartoum North Criminal Court postponed its final judgment in the case as the judge decided to hear the testimony of the official who verified the defendant’s identity and interrogated him on 2 August.
However, the court on Wednesday postponed its ruling for the second time until 15 August due to the absence of the witness.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Wednesday, SCoP said the court’s decision underscores that Omer is facing systematic targeting that aims to kill him at any price.
It added the court should rule according to the evidence provided by the prosecutor and the lawyers for the blood heirs.
“It was obvious that the prosecution failed to prove its allegations, forcing the court to use its powers to summon a police officer as a court witness,” read the statement.
“The [prosecution] failure should prove the innocence of the accused, instead of seeking to remove the suspicion of innocence by completing the lack of evidence in the writ of summons” further said the statement.
The SCoP added the judge’s decision to postpone the ruling for two more weeks can hardly be accepted, saying the court should dismiss the testimony of the police officer instead of insisting on summoning him.
(ST)