Ex-security agent sentenced to death

The Special Court convened to try the perpetrators of crimes related to the Sudanese revolution has sentenced a former member of the defunct National Intelligence and Security Service to death. Ashraf El Tayyib was convicted of the murder of Hassan Mohammed Omar during a mass protest in Khartoum on 25 December 2018. Doctors who treated demonstrators at the time, confirmed to Radio Dabanga that the security forces were ‘shooting to kill’. This is the first conviction of premeditated murder and crimes against humanity to be passed down by the court, which was convened to address abuses committed during the mass popular uprising that culminated in the overthrow of the 30-year dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir. The court also upheld the request by the victim's family for retribution, provided that the case is submitted to the Supreme Court after the appeal period has elapsed.