SUDAN POSTPONES THE EXECUTION OF FIVE CRIMINALS FOLLOWING EU CRITICISM

Minister Yassin 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."
Last week the European Union issued a statement calling on Sudan to commute the death sentences of the five people who were to be executed on Sunday.
"The European Union reiterates its concern about the respect of human rights in Sudan," it said. "It condemns the death sentences and barbarous practices imposed on five individuals, which ... are inconsistent with the international law of human rights, Sudan´s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Sudan has ratified, and the UN Convention Against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
"The EU urges the government of Sudan to commute these sentences by presidential pardon and avoid the executions by hanging or cross- amputations," the statement added.
The five men charged with armed robbery were found guilty by a Khartoum court in 1999.