27 Sentenced to Death for Killing Detained Protester in Sudan

A court in Omdurman on Monday sentenced to death 27 members of Sudan’s security forces for the torturing and killing of Ahmed al-Khair, a school teacher who had been detained on January 31 for protesting against the regime of Omar al-Bashir. Al-Khair’s death while in detention spurred further protests that ultimately led in April to the overthrow of al-Bashir by the military. The country is now ruled by a joint military-civilian Sovereign Council, which promises democratic elections in three years. Since December of last year, almost 200 protesters have been killed in Sudan. These were the first convictions and sentences handed down in connection to the killings. Al-Bashir, the former ruler, was convicted earlier this month by a court in Khartoum of money laundering and corruption and sentenced to two years in a minimum-security prison. He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes and genocide.