Trial against eight Darfuri students adjourned

On Monday the trial against eight students from Darfur began in the court in Khartoum Bahri. They were arrested in September 2017 for organising a mass speech, and held in detention for over five months.

The students face four counts of forcibly opposing the authorities, running criminal organisations, disturbing public safety, and inciting hatred. They are accused of doing so during the demonstrations staged against the continued detentions of members of the United Popular Front (UPF), student faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement armed opposition.

The protest on September 13 was also aimed against the targeting of Darfuri students in universities. Several Darfuri students were detained. The eight students on trial were released after serving a period of five months and six days in detention camps of the Sudanese security apparatus – without being charged.

Defence lawyer Abdu Ishag told Radio Dabanga yesterday that the court has adjourned the hearing because of the plaintiff of the security service and the investigator were absent. The hearing has been postponed to August 2.

In February the defence of the eight students criticised the selective conditions on which they were released on bail, pointing out that days before, President Omar Al Bashir publicly announced that political detainees in Sudan would be pardoned.