May 25, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – A special court in Sudan’s Darfur region has sentenced to death three men who are likely to be hanged, their bodies later crucified and publicly displayed, if the court’s decision is implemented.
The verdict was delivered on 6 May by Judge Sif Eldien Abdulrhman Ishag of the Special Criminal Court on the Events in Darfur (SCCED) in Al – Daien, East Darfur, ending the five-day trial with four court sessions.
The three convicted men include, Ibrahim Abidein, 30, Edriss Khubub and Al-Sidig Mohamed, 29, all members of the Reizegat tribe from East Darfur state.
The trio men were reportedly convicted of the murder of Ahmed Salim, a prominent community leader and mayor of the Al – Maalia, an Arab ethnic group in East Darfur, on 27 April 2013.
Under Sudanese law, however, the defendants reportedly have the right to two appeals before the SCCED.
At least 13 witnesses were reportedly interviewed during the three sessions of the trial, while the last trial was reserved for defence lawyers of the accused to submit their arguments before the judge.
The three were charged with various crimes, ranging from murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and possession of a weapon without a license, among others. They are accused of violating the Sudanese Penal Code, Weapons and Ammunition Act and Sharia laws.
Source: Sudan Tribune, May 26, 2013
