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Sudan to execute four Islamists for killing US envoy
[Mail and Globe] A Khartoum court condemned four Islamists to death on Wednesday for the 2008 killing of a United States diplomat and his Sudanese driver, as the US embassy warned of possible retaliation over the verdict. Judge Said Ahmed al-Badri sentenced the four to be hanged for the murders. A fifth man, who had provided the other defendants with the weapon but did not take part in the murder, was sentenced to two years in prison. John Granville (33), who worked for the US Agency for International Development (USAid), and his 40-year-old Sudanese driver Abdel Rahman Abbas were shot dead in their car in Khartoum on January 1 2008. "God is Great! Long live Justice!" cried the sister of one defendant when the verdict was announced. The four men, who remained silent inside the courtroom, shouted Allahu Akbar (God is great) as they were escorted out by police. Just before the sentence was read out and in line with Islamic law, the judge asked the driver's family whether they forgave the defendants, sought compensation from them, or wanted to see the death penalty enforced. They opted for the latter. "Sudanese law does not provide for" a life sentence for murder, said Granville's mother, Jane Granville, in a statement. Posted by: Fred 2009-06-25 |
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