Dec 14, 2019

Deposed Sudanese dictator sentenced for corruption

Rashaan Ayesh

Sudan's deposed military president Omar al-Bashir sits in a defendant's cage — Sudan's deposed military President Omar al-Bashir sits in a defendant's cage. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

Sudan's ousted President Omar al-Bashir was sentenced to two years in a rehabilitation facility for corruption and money laundering on Saturday, after being overthrown in April, AP reports.

The big picture: This could be the first of many verdicts likely to be handed down against al-Bashir. He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and genocide in the Darfur region in the early 2000s.

The United Nations says nearly 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million were displaced after war broke out in Darfur in 2003, according to BBC.

Yes, but: It's still unclear when or whether the ICC will try al-Bashir. There has been a warrant for his arrest since 2009, and al-Bashir has tested the ICC by openly traveling to other countries since then, Al Jazeera writes.

Of note: Al-Bashir is 75 years old. Under Sudanese law, "people over the age of 70 cannot serve jail terms," BBC notes.

Instead, he will be sent to a state-run rehabilitation facility for elderly people who are convicted of crimes that aren't punishable by death.

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Deposed Sudanese dictator sentenced for corruption

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