SUDAN: Court adjourns coup trial against former President Omar al-Bashir

Embattled former President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir, who has already been convicted for corruption, appeared in court on Tuesday in connection with the military coup that brought him to power more than three decades ago.

The ousted long-serving leader of Sudan and other defendants including former vice presidents Ali Osman Taha and Bakri Hassan Saleh, were in a caged off area in the courtroom, in the capital of Khartoum .

“This court will listen to each of them and we will give each of the 28 accused the opportunity to defend themselves,” it quotes court president Issam al-Din Mohammad Ibrahim, as saying.

During court proceedings, one of Bashir’s 150 defence lawyers, Hashem al-Gali, said that their client and other defendants were facing “a political trial” being held “in a hostile environment”.

READ ALSO: Sudanese group supports al-Bashir’s trial at ICC

The court adjourned the trial until 11 August before any statements or evidence could be given, the Reuters news agency reports.

This came months after Sudanese authorities gave the go ahead to hand over Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face genocide and war crimes charges leveled against him.

Authorities said the former president, and others charged by the ICC, should appear at The Hague to face a tribunal.

Spokesman for the Sudanese government, Mohammed Hassan al-Taishi who spoke with BBC Focus on Africa radio said that Bashir and three others would be handed over to the ICC to answer for their crimes against humanity.

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