Sudan ‘coup plotters’ lawyers say still no accesss to accused

KHARTOUM, Nov 28 (AFP) — Lawyers defending suspects in an alleged coup attempt to topple Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir’s Islamist government said Sunday that they still had not been allowed to see their clients.

Hassan al-Turabi

Lawyer Abdel Salam al-Juzouli told AFP that despite getting permission from the state prosecutor to visit the suspects, among 92 people charged on Wednesday in connection with the alleged September coup attempt, security officials were still denying them access.

“Since charges have been levelled against the suspects, they should not be in the custody of the (state) security. This is something we will raise with the justice minister,” said Juzouli.

Of the 92 facing charges which carry the death sentence or life in prison, 18 are military personnel who will be court martialled.

The state prosecutor has said that most of the civilians facing trial are members of the opposition Popular Congress party of Hassan al-Turabi, who is in jail awaiting trial on a raft of offences against the state.

But Juzouli said none of those charged with crimes ranging from undermining the constitutional regime to inciting war against the state were officials of the Popular Congress, but were rather ordinary people who had come from Darfur and were arrested in Khartoum.

Investigating magistrates have turned down requests by defence lawyers to meet the alleged conspirators, denying them their right to a defence “provided for in the constitution and the criminal procedures act”, lawyers said in a statement Sunday.

Unable to see their clients, defence lawyers said they would apply for an extension to a period during which they can appeal against the charges. That period is due to expire on Monday.

Opposition figures have denounced the coup claims as an effort to divert attention from the crisis in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, where up to 70,000 people have been killed and about 1.4 million left homeless amid clashes between ethnic minority rebels and state-sponsored Arab militia.

Meanwhile, Sudan on Saturday filed international arrest warrants for four politicians currently living abroad and suspected of involvement in the alleged coup attempt, according to the independent Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper.

Arrest warrants had been filed with Interpol for Khalil Ibrahim of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, alleged coup mastermind and Popular Congress leader Al-Haj Adam Yusuf, Darfur leader Abdallah Zakaria and the previously unknown Busharh Suleiman, the paper said.