10 GET DEATH PENALTY FOR SUDAN JOURNALIST MURDER

a Sudanese court sentenced 10 people to death for the murder of a Sudanese journalist last year. The 10, who hail from the western Darfur province, were found guilty of murdering Muhammad Taha, the editor of the Al-Wifaq daily newspaper. Taha was kidnapped from his home in September 2006. His decapitated body was found in southern Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. Taha was considered close to the Muslim Brotherhood, but was tried in 2005 after his newspaper ran a series of articles questioning the ancestry of the Prophet Muhammad. Many Sudanese found the publications offensive to the prophet and to Islam, and some called on the authorities to have Taha executed. He was tried on charges of “defying religion, inciting public opinion and generating religious malice.” Taha was fined and his newspaper was shut down for three months. Taha denied the charges of blasphemy and wrote a letter of apology that was published in the press.  He also raised the ire of Darfur inhabitants for publishing criticism of them in his newspaper. The guilty parties, whose ages range from 16 to their mid 40s, were sentenced to death by firing squad following a nine-month trial. Their lawyer, Kamal ‘Umar, said the verdict was unjust, and that the method of death was reserved for the military. He also said the court was influenced by political interests. The lawyer plans to appeal the sentence.