January 20, 2010 (PARIS) – The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) today slammed the death sentences handed down by a Sudanese court yesterday against two of its fighters for taking part in an attack on the capital in May 2008.
So far 105 JEM members have been ordered hanged for their role in the raid amid criticism by local lawyers and international rights group over the fairness of the trials.
“The Movement condemns in the strongest terms sentencing to death two Sudanese citizens based on pure political vindictiveness, and by courts that are unconstitutional and violate all the provisions of the law” a statement signed by JEM spokesperson Ahmed Hussein reads.
“The timing of sentences with scheduled talks confirmed that the convictions are political and has nothing to do with the path of justice, and that Sudanese courts under the Khartoum regime are far from independent,”
JEM has a delegation currently in Doha, Qatar as attempts are underway by the mediation to resume talks between the rebel group and the Sudanese government which has stalled with both sides trading accusation on lack of seriousness.
The statement by JEM also blasted what it claimed to be re-arresting those acquitted by the court and placing them “in a separate section of the same prison”.
“[This] is the clearest evidence that this regime’s contempt of the judiciary even if [the latter] works according to its wishes”.
In yesterday’s ruling, five men were cleared of all charges and released. Two other men were convicted of helping a JEM leader escape from Khartoum after the raid. One was jailed for three years, and the judge ordered the other to be released as he was aged over 70.
The death sentences have not been carried out against any JEM convicts as they have not been endorsed by the Sudanese president which appears unlikely in the present time.
(ST)
حركة العدل و المساواة السودانية
موقع متخصص بنقل آخر الأخبار و البيانات و القرارات لحركة العدل و المساواة السودانية