Sudan courts launch mass trials for RSF collaborators
Gavel and scales (Photo: Creative Commons)
A Sudanese rights group has warned today that mass trials of alleged paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) collaborators risk turning the judiciary into a tool for political reprisals. Hundreds are already facing trial in El Gezira, with thousands more expected to follow.
The El Gezira Observatory for Human Rights said authorities must ensure transparency and fair trial standards. It raised concerns that many defendants had little time to prepare their defence and questioned whether the prosecutions were politically motivated.
A criminal court in El Gezira has started hearings against 950 individuals accused of working with the RSF.
Reports indicate that Sudan’s Public Prosecution that more than 15,000 charges have been filed against alleged collaborators, intelligence operatives, and RSF leaders. The charges include crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide in West Darfur.
The trials follow the Sudanese Armed Forces recapture of El Gezira, as authorities move to prosecute those accused of aiding the RSF.
Rights groups fear the sheer number of cases and the speed of the prosecutions indicate a political purge rather than due process.
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