Dec 14, 2019

Deposed Sudanese dictator sentenced for corruption

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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