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Sudan opposition leader sentenced to jail for protest
[PULSE.NG] A Sudanese emergency court Sunday sentenced an opposition leader to a week in jail as police detained several people intent on marching on parliament to protest a state of emergency.Mariam al-Mahdi -- daughter of opposition Umma Party chief and ex-prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi - was sentenced to a week in prison by an emergency court, Mohammed al-Mahdi, another of the party's leaders, told AFP. Mariam al-Mahdi and her sister Rabah were among those locked away Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! earlier on Sunday. Protest organisers had called for a march to challenge the state of emergency, imposed nationwide by President Omar al-Bashir  Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to ArabizeDarfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. on February 22. Bashir's move came after an initial crackdown on demonstrations that have taken place against his iron-fisted rule since December failed to rein in the protest movement. The president has ordered a slew of tough measures to quell the demonstrations, including banning all unauthorised rallies and setting up special emergency courts to probe transgressions. Sunday's procession was to start at the Umma Party's offices in the capital's twin city of Omdurman. "As some of our leaders came out of the party office to lead the march, security agents arrested them," said Mohammed al-Mahdi, who is not connected to the former premier's family. Posted by: Fred 2019-03-11 |
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