Lawyers of alleged Sudan coup plotters ask for time to appeal charges

KHARTOUM, Nov 29 (AFP) — Lawyers defending suspects
in an alleged coup attempt against Sudan’s Islamist government asked Monday for more time to appeal the charges, saying they still had no access to their clients.

Hassan al-Turabi, leader of the opposition Popular Congress

Lawyer Abdel Salam al-Juzouli said that he would ask for another week to appeal charges of involvement in last September’s alleged attempt to topple the government of Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir.

An initial period for appealing the charges expired Monday, with the accused still having received no counsel.

Of 92 alleged conspirators 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.

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.

Lawyers for suspects accused of involvement in another alleged coup attempt also said they were being prevented from properly defending their clients.

The accused were arrested in April, accused of involvement in a coup attempt by Darfur rebel sympathisers, allegedly masterminded by the Popular Congress.

Juzouli, who is part of both groups’ legal teams, said that the trial judge had prevented them from entering the court room.