Sudan’s Bashir Gets 2 Years for Corruption

FILE PHOTO: Sudan's former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir smiles as he is seen inside a cage at the courthouse, in Khartoum, Sudan August 31, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
FILE PHOTO: Sudan's former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir smiles as he is seen inside a cage at the courthouse, in Khartoum, Sudan August 31, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
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Sudan’s Bashir Gets 2 Years for Corruption

FILE PHOTO: Sudan's former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir smiles as he is seen inside a cage at the courthouse, in Khartoum, Sudan August 31, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
FILE PHOTO: Sudan's former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir smiles as he is seen inside a cage at the courthouse, in Khartoum, Sudan August 31, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

A court in Sudan convicted ex-president Omar al-Bashir of money laundering and corruption on Saturday, sentencing him to two years in a rehabilitation facility.

The presiding judge said Bashir, 75, was being sent to the reform facility, rather than a prison, on account of his age.

The verdict came eight months after the military deposed him during unprecedented mass protests against his three-decade rule.

At the start of the trial, judge Sadeq Abdelrahman said authorities had seized 6.9 million euros as well as $351,770 and 5.7 million Sudanese pounds ($128,000) from Bashir's home.

Bashir's lawyer Mohamed al-Hassan told reporters the ex-president's defense does not see the trial as a legal case, but as "a political" one.

The trial does not relate to charges Bashir faces at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Bashir has been wanted by the ICC for years for his role in the Darfur war that broke out in 2003 and which left around 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced.

After Bashir was toppled, ICC prosecutors requested he stand trial for the killings in Darfur.

Army generals who initially seized power after the president's fall refused to hand over the 75-year-old.

But Sudan's umbrella protest movement, which now has significant representation on a sovereign council that in August became the country's highest executive authority -- recently said it has no objection to his extradition.
 
Separately, on November 12, Sudanese authorities filed charges against Bashir and some of his aides for "plotting" the 1989 coup that brought him to power.

In May, Sudan's attorney general said Bashir had been charged with the deaths of those killed during the anti-regime demonstrations that led to his ouster, without specifying when he would face trial.



Israeli Military Recovers Body of a Hostage in Gaza, Is Examining Identity of a Second Body

Palestinians inspect damaged residential buildings where two Israeli hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 12, 2024. (AP)
Palestinians inspect damaged residential buildings where two Israeli hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 12, 2024. (AP)
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Israeli Military Recovers Body of a Hostage in Gaza, Is Examining Identity of a Second Body

Palestinians inspect damaged residential buildings where two Israeli hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 12, 2024. (AP)
Palestinians inspect damaged residential buildings where two Israeli hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 12, 2024. (AP)

The Israeli military said Wednesday that troops have recovered the body of a hostage held in Gaza and were examining whether another body recovered was also that of a captive.

Earlier, Israel's defense minister said that troops recovered the bodies of two hostages.

The military said the body of Yosef Al Zaydani was brought to Israel on Tuesday after being discovered in an underground tunnel near the southern Gaza city of Rafah. It said troops uncovered information about Al Zaydani's son Hamzah that "raised serious concerns for his life."

Military spokesman Col. Nadav Shoshani said the military was looking into the identity of a second set of remains recovered.

Al Zaydani and his son were taken captive during Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023, among 250 hostages snatched by the group during its cross-border raid.

Israel believes a third of the remaining 100 hostages are dead.

The body's recovery comes as Israel and Hamas are considering a ceasefire deal that would free the hostages and halt the fighting in Gaza.

However, Yosef and Hamzah Al Zaydani were believed to still be alive and their return could ramp up the pressure on Israel to move ahead on a deal.

Yosef Al Zaydani's name was on a list of 34 hostages shared by a Hamas official with The Associated Press that the group said were slated for release.

Many families of hostages say the continuation of the war in Gaza puts the lives of the remaining hostages at risk. They have demanded throughout the conflict that Israel reaches a deal with Hamas to free their loved ones.