Updated: 10 October 2025 19:18:21
Sudanese Observatory Calls for the Revocation of the Death Sentence Against Abu Bakr Mansour
Moatinoon
The Sudanese Observatory for Human Rights has condemned the death sentence issued by the Sennar Criminal Court on October 5, 2025, against lawyer Abu Bakr Mansour, ordering his execution by hanging. The Observatory also strongly denounced the arrest of lawyer Abu Bakr Al-Mahi, a member of the defense team representing Mansour, by security forces days before the verdict, preventing him from carrying out his professional duties.
The Observatory called for the immediate revocation of the death sentence against lawyer Abu Bakr Mansour and for his retrial before an independent and impartial judicial body that fully upholds the guarantees of a fair trial.
It also demanded the unconditional release of lawyer Abu Bakr Al-Mahi and that he be allowed to practice his profession freely and without intimidation. The Observatory further urged for a transparent and immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding Al-Mahi’s arrest and the procedural violations that marred the trial, with full accountability for those responsible.
The Observatory stated that the ruling against Mansour represents a blatant violation of fair trial guarantees and a serious affront to the rule of law. It said in a statement issued today that the verdict was rendered in total disregard of a prior Court of Appeals decision, which had ordered the case to be returned for the hearing of additional evidence.
According to the statement, Judge Abdel Latif Adam Mohamed Ali issued the death sentence without complying with the appellate decision and during a court session of which the defense team had not been notified, constituting a complete denial of the right to defense guaranteed under both national laws and international conventions.
The Observatory further described the arrest of defense lawyer Abu Bakr Al-Mahi and his prevention from communicating with his client as a direct assault on the legal profession and a systematic undermining of the fundamental right to defense, in clear violation of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers (Havana, 1990), which oblige states to ensure that lawyers can perform their duties without intimidation or hindrance.
The statement also highlighted the deep shock felt by Mansour’s family upon learning of the verdict, which contradicted the optimism that had accompanied court sessions — even based on the testimonies of prosecution witnesses.
A family representative said the ruling had caused severe psychological harm to Mansour’s children, who could not comprehend its meaning, and that the family had been forced to hide the news from his elderly father out of fear for his health.
The Observatory called on the authorities to end the use of the judiciary as a tool of political retribution and to halt all forms of security interference in the work of the judiciary and the Public Prosecution.
Finally, the Observatory held the security and judicial authorities in Sennar fully responsible for the physical and psychological safety of lawyers Abu Bakr Mansour and Abu Bakr Al-Mahi, urging regional and international human rights organizations to closely monitor the case and pressure the Sudanese authorities to stop these grave violations.
