Sudan also pardons co-convicted of Christian activist

The Sudanese pastor and an activist who were convicted for aiding espionage, together with a Czech activist, have been granted amnesty by the Sudanese president.

Rev. Hassan Abdelrahim Kodi from the Nuba Mountains and Darfuri student and activist Abdelmunim Abdelmoula were sentenced by a court in Khartoum to 12 years in prison last January, for aiding espionage, spreading false news about Sudan, and stirring up religious strife between communities.

The Czech Petr Jašek was sentenced to life imprisonment (which amounts to 24 years in Sudan) and a fine of SDG 100,000 ($15,440). His charges were espionage, illegally entering Sudan, and spreading false news about the country. But President Omar Al Bashir granted him pardon after a personal request by the Czech Foreign Ministry.

The amnesty was granted after Kodi and Abdelmoula had spent more than sixteen months in custody and in prison, firstly by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), the State Security Prosecutor's office and then in Kober prison.

Long-running case

The news about the case for long was full of contradicting details, as it was unclear for some time that Jašek was not a priest but a Christian activist. The prosecution against the men alleged that a $5,000 donation by Jašek in 2015 in reality was meant to support rebel movements in South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur.

Their lawyer told Radio Dabanga in February that he expected the appeal court in Khartoum to write-off the complaint filed against them, “based on a reading of the legal assessment of the charges and sentence”.

The Sudanese Human Rights and Development Organisation (HUDO), which followed the case closely, released a press statement yesterday, expressing its gratitude to all institutions and organisations that supported the two convicted.