Sudan Justice Minister Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin revealed...

Sudan Justice Minister Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin revealed that the execution of five convicted criminals had been postponed, he did not give a reason for the decision nor state how long the postponement would last, but stressed it was not due to foreign pressure. The Khartoum government "does not succumb to pressures," he told journalists. "Islamic punishments are issued by the court and cannot be amended by any authority because they are made under a Koranic provision."
The European Union on January 3 issued a statement calling on Sudan to commute the death sentences of the five people who were to be executed on January 5.
The five men charged with armed robbery were found guilty by a Khartoum court in 1999.