Sudan emergency courts sentence protesters to jail

February 28, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – The recently established Emergency Courts have already begun their work and sentenced to jail suspects arrested during protests in different parts of Khartoum on Thursday.

To quell the first national protests organised by the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) on Thursday, the police and security forces arrested hundreds of demonstrators who were held in detention facilities in Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North.

The arrested protesters immediately appeared before the emergency courts and charged with riot, causing damage to public property, closure of roads according to the provisions of emergency orders and criminal law of 1991.

As of Thursday night, 59 protesters were sentenced to prison sentences ranging from two months to seven years, including 17 defendants in the Khartoum North, 22 in Omdurman and 20 in Khartoum.

In remarks made on Wednesday, the First Vice President Awad bin Ouf said that the presidential emergency orders do not target demonstrators but mean at stopping the destruction of the national economy and the loss of resources.

Also, Khartoum’s emergency prosecutor referred 4 cases to Khartoum’s emergency court, which issued verdicts on charges related to currency smuggling, breach of public safety, harassment and violation of emergency law orders.

The emergency court in Khartoum sentenced one of four, charged of money laundering, to six years in prison and a fine of 100,000 riyals and 9,650 Indian rupees.

(ST)