Sudanese policeman charged with murder of demonstrator

A Sudanese court has charged the policeman suspected of killing Sara Abdel Bagi with premeditated murder under article 130 of the criminal code. Abdel Bagi was shot dead during the protests which erupted last September following the government’s decision to lift fuel subsidies.The criminal court of northern El Duroshab has interrogated the suspect, who denied being present at the crime scene when the shooting took place. “I lawfully obtained my gun from the police station in El Duroshab after revealing my policeman id card”, he stated. The court will hear the defence witnesses in the coming session next Wednesday. The member of the accusation team, Muatasim El Hag, told Sudan Tribune that the suspect’s testimony “contradicts with what he said in the investigation diary, where he denied holding a gun during the protests”. Protests erupted in Sudan’s major towns, after the government announced that it was lifting subsidies on fuel and other basic commodities. This lead to calls for a regime change, during which at least 200 protesters died. 15 of them were children, and more than 800 others have been detained.(ST) File photo: Demonstrations in Khartoum (unknown) Related: Sudanese Solidarity Committee demands release of detained protesters (9 January 2014)