SOAT: Release of 91 Riziegat Prisoners

SOAT

On 29 December 2004, prison authorities at Kober prison released 88 Riziegat prisoners sentenced to death along with 3 Riziegat prisoners. The prisoners were released subsequent to a presentation before the High Court to withdraw the charges against the prisoners by tribal leaders of the Ma’alia and the Riziegat tribes following a tribal reconciliation sponsored by the government of Sudan in October 2004 as part of local conflict resolution method. The High court consequently dropped the case.

Background

In what became known as the ‘Tibit’ case, conflict over land ownership in ‘Tibit’ village resulted in armed clashes between the Ma’alia and the Riziegat tribes and led to the death of 70 people. Following the clashes, 98 men from the Riziegat tribes were arrested in 2002 and charged under articles 168 (Armed Robber – Hiraba) and 172 (Capital Theft) of the 1991 Penal Code. The case was brought before the special courts in Nyala, and all 91 defendants were found guilty. 88 of the defendants were sentenced to death, three to imprisonment and seven persons were acquitted.

SOAT is pleased to announce the release of these men, all of whom have spent a period of nearly 3 years in detention. SOAT considered the trial before the special courts in Darfur in which they were sentenced to have ignored essential requirements of due process, especially as the men were tried and charged largely without their lawyers present notwithstanding the severity of the punishments meted out to the men.