KHARTOUM: A trial in Sudan against ousted autocrat Omar al Bashir for leading a military coup that brought him to power 31 years ago has been postponed for the third time.
The court case is now scheduled for September 1, Supreme Court judge Essam El-Din Mohamed Ibrahim said in the capital Khartoum on Tuesday.
The trial was initially set to start in late July, but has already been postponed twice for reasons including the lack of COVID-19 precautions.
Al Bashir is facing charges of undermining the constitution, violating the Armed Forces Act and rebellion, Al Moez Hadra, one of a group of lawyers who filed the criminal lawsuit, told this agency.
The 76-year-old will stand trial with several co-accused, among them two of Al Bashir’s former vice presidents as well as former ministers and governors.
If convicted, Al Bashir, who is already imprisoned for corruption, could face the death sentence.
Al Bashir came to power in 1989 after he led a military coup against democratically elected prime minister Sadek al Mahdi.
He was ousted in April 2019 after months of pro-democracy protests and mass sit-ins.
Al Bashir was convicted in late 2019 on corruption charges, but was never tried for alleged crimes against humanity committed under his 30-year rule.
The volatile nation in the Horn of Africa is currently run by a transitional government made up of military and civilian officials. — dpa
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