Opposition lashed

Three leading figures of a small Sudanese opposition group are given 20 lashes for disturbing the peace. The court convicts Sudanese Congress Party vice president Mastour Ahmed Mohamed and top officials Assem Omar and Ibrahim Mohamed, and the punishment is meted out even before defense lawyers arrive. The sentence – the first of its kind against the opposition since Bashir came to power – is carried out in Omdurman, the twin city of capital Khartoum. The three party members call before a crowd in an Omdurman marketplace for the release of 12 jailed colleagues.