The Committee for Justice (CFJ) condemned the verdict issued against Sudanese lawyer and human rights defender Abu Bakr Mansur Mohamed Hamza, which was recently handed down by the Sennar General Court, sentencing him to twenty years in prison and imposing a fine of ten million Sudanese pounds on charges related to alleged collaboration with the Rapid Support Forces.
Sources from Mansur’s defense team confirmed that the trial was marred by fundamental legal violations directly affecting standards of fair trial, including the disregard of testimonies from eyewitnesses who provided evidence proving the accused was present within the city at the time of the events and was distributing humanitarian aid, specifically medicine, to patients in his area—without any proven action rising to the level of criminal collaboration as alleged. Furthermore, certain testimonies supporting the defendant were ignored, in clear contradiction with the principle that “doubt should be interpreted in favor of the accused,” a cornerstone of criminal law.
The CFJ rejects the verdict and demands its annulment and the release of Mansur, or alternatively, his retrial before a court that meets internationally recognized standards of fair trial, an end to his targeting, and ensuring a safe and appropriate environment for him to carry out his legitimate human rights work.
