Court Rejects Defense Request to Amend Charges Facing Sudan’s Bashir

Arab World

September 29th, 7:00am

Khartoum – Ahmed Youness

Sudan's former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir sits guarded inside a cage at the courthouse where he is facing corruption charges, in Khartoum, Sudan August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo

The court convened to try ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has rejected two requests by the defense team, and approved a third request to increase the number of defense witnesses to four. One of the rejected requests was for amending charges facing the former ruler. The court judge granted the defense panel one hearing to complete the presentation of its witnesses, after it requested an increase in its witnesses, following an update in its recent witness testimony from the Office of the General Auditor at Saturday’s hearing. On the other hand, millions of Sudanese frivolously awaited Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok's speech at the United Nations General Assembly, setting a precedent that is the first of its kind in the country's history. “The Sudanese people are moving confidently and steadily on their way towards the future as a friend and equal partner with all peace-loving people of the world,” Hamdok said, explaining that the country will now aim to transform its foreign policy from the one that’s prevailed the last three decades. In this new approach, Khartoum will reach out to its regional neighbors and all other countries worldwide, with a true spirit of friendship, guided by its genuine belief in human values and the heritage of Sudanese wisdom, he said. Sudan pledges to uphold international law, human rights, and efforts to end discrimination, exploitation, injustice and inequality. “We remain committed to maintaining international peace and security,” he said. The revolution aims to end Sudan’s international and regional isolation, Hamdok continued, but reminded delegations that his country has inherited international sanctions, and it is on the list of State sponsors of terrorism. However, “it was the former regime that supported terrorism”, he explained, not Sudan’s people. “We call on the United States of America to remove Sudan from the list of” State sponsors of terrorism and cease punishing the population for acts committed by the previous regime,” he urged.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1923601/court-rejects-defense-request-amend-charges-facing-sudan%E2%80%99s-bashir