Bashir Trial for 1989 Coup Adjourned as Crowds Jostle Outside Court

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir sits inside a cage during the hearing of the verdict that convicted him of corruption charges in a court in Khartoum, Sudan. December 14, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir sits inside a cage during the hearing of the verdict that convicted him of corruption charges in a court in Khartoum, Sudan. December 14, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
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Bashir Trial for 1989 Coup Adjourned as Crowds Jostle Outside Court

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir sits inside a cage during the hearing of the verdict that convicted him of corruption charges in a court in Khartoum, Sudan. December 14, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir sits inside a cage during the hearing of the verdict that convicted him of corruption charges in a court in Khartoum, Sudan. December 14, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir appeared in court Tuesday at the opening of his trial for leading the military coup that brought him to power in 1989, before the hearing was adjourned to find a bigger venue amid chaotic scenes outside.

Hundreds of lawyers, supporters, family members and journalists jostled outside, complaining to security officials that they were unable to get into the court, a Reuters journalist said.

Sudanese people, ringed by police, also chanted slogans outside the court, some in support of Bashir, who has been jailed since he was toppled in April last year following mass protests against his 30-year rule.

The trial, which includes some of Bashir's former allies, was adjourned until Aug. 11 when it will be moved to larger venue.

Bashir could be sentenced to death if convicted, a lawyer and SUNA, the state-news agency, said.

State TV footage showed scores of security members inside the packed but otherwise calm courtroom, but did not show Bashir himself. Two witnesses who attended the session told Reuters they saw Bashir inside the defendants' cage in a white prison uniform.

In December, his lawyer told reporters it was a "political trial par excellence" more than 30 years after the event. Judge Essam Eddin Mohamed Ibrahim promised a fair trial.

Another Sudanese court has already handed down a two-year sentence in December on corruption charges. Bashir also faces trials and investigations over the killing of protesters.

Bashir is also wanted by the International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants against him in 2009 and 2010 on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's restive Darfur region.

Before any statements or evidence could be given, the judge postponed the hearing. "We will end this court session (and adjourn trial proceedings) to take better measures (to have a bigger hall to include all lawyers)," he said.

Some lawyers had complained their colleagues had not been able to get into Tuesday's session. Others asked for more precautionary measures due to the risk from the coronavirus.

Other defendants include former allies of Bashir such as former Vice President Ali Osman Taha and Ali al-Haj, secretary general of the Islamist Popular Congress Party (PCP), judicial officials said.

The judge refused defense lawyers' requests to release some of the defendants before the resumption of the trial, SUNA said.

A civilian transition government took over from Bashir under a three-year power sharing deal with the military deal who helped remove Bashir but it has struggled to make fix an economy in crisis.



UN Envoy: Conditions 'Not Yet in Place' for Safe Return of Lebanese Citizens to South

Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
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UN Envoy: Conditions 'Not Yet in Place' for Safe Return of Lebanese Citizens to South

Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher

Conditions are 'not yet in place' for the safe return of Lebanese citizens to southern Lebanon, according to a joint statement by the top UN official in Lebanon and the chief of the UN peacekeeping mission to Lebanon on Sunday.

They said that the timelines set under the US-brokered ceasefire that halted last year's war with Hezbollah were not met, urging recommitment from both Israel and Lebanon.

The statement comes after Israeli forces killed several people and injured scores trying to return to homes in south Lebanon where Israeli troops remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed on Sunday.

“As seen tragically this morning, conditions are not yet in place for the safe return of citizens to their villages along the Blue Line. Displaced communities, already facing a long road to recovery and reconstruction, are therefore once again being called on to exercise caution,” United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro said in the statement.

“Compliance by both parties with their obligations under the November Understanding and the full implementation of resolution 1701 constitute the only way to bring closure to the recent, dark chapter of conflict and open a new one, heralding security, stability and prosperity on both sides of the Blue Line,” they said.

“The United Nations continues to engage all actors towards this end and remains ready to support any action consistent with resolution 1701 and the efforts of the Implementation Mechanism to achieve the objectives of the November Understanding,” the statement said.

“With so much at stake for both Lebanon and Israel, recommitment is urgently needed from all sides,” it added.