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Africa Horn
Two charged in Sudan protest ‘terrorist’ case
2012-07-26
KHARTOUM: Two alleged anti-regime activists in Sudan face up to 10 yearsÂ’ prison after a judge charged them on Wednesday in a terrorism-linked conspiracy over Arab Spring-style discontent sparked by inflation.

Rudwan Daud and Ahmed Ali each face several accusations but the most serious is involvement with a terrorist or criminal organization, their lawyer Khaled Awad said outside the court. The lawyer said Daud and Ali could be jailed between five and 10 years if convicted on the most serious charge.

Daud is an activist with Girifna (“We are fed up“), a non-violent youth movement which, like its counterparts in Syria and elsewhere, has used Twitter and other social media to spread its anti-government message and support street protests.

On June 16 at the University of Khartoum students began protesting high food prices, beginning the longest-running public challenge to the 23-year regime of President Omar Al-Bashir. After Bashir announced austerity measures, including tax hikes and an end to cheap fuel, scattered demonstrations calling for the governmentÂ’s downfall spread around the capital and to other parts of Sudan.

Girifna said on its website that Daud was arrested at his house on July 3 after helping to organize a protest in his Khartoum-area neighborhood.

A police officer testified that Daud and Ali were plotting violence against the state because they were found with written statements against the regime, old tires and a bottle of fuel. Burning tires is a tactic of some protesters.

Ten other people, including DaudÂ’s father and brother, were freed for lack of evidence on Wednesday, the lawyer Awad said.

Daud and Ali are to return to court on Sunday when the defense calls evidence. Daud was escorted from court by more than 10 armed policemen but raised his cuffed hands to give a victory sign and nodded his head to acknowledge waiting supporters.
Posted by:Steve White

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