Saber Abdalla Abusam was sentenced to death on Monday by the president of the High Court in Aweil Town, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Abraham Majur Lat, for defiling and murdering a minor.
Saber Abdalla Abusam, a Sudanese trader, defiled and murdered five-year-old Abuk Lual Lual in the Ayuang residential area on May 3rd. He was apprehended alongside Omer Mohamud Omer and Ahmad Hassan Adam, who the authorities accused of covering up the crime.
Last week, Omer Mohamud Omer was sentenced to five years in prison, while Ahmad Hassan Adam was found not guilty.
Justice Majur read the court verdict, which sentenced the main accused to death by hanging.
“The first accused, Saber Abdalla Abusam, was sentenced to death by hanging by the court. The second accused, Omer Mohamud Omer, was sentenced to five years in prison for violating article (140) paragraph (A) of the South Sudan Penal Code 2008.” He was reading. “And according to article (258) of the South Sudan Criminal Procedure Act 2008, the accused have the right to appeal within fifteen days of today’s hearing, which was made before this court, Abraham Majur Lat, President of the High Court, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Aweil.”
Garang Akok, a lawyer representing the deceased’s family, applauded the decision.
“I am overjoyed because I was expecting a harsh punishment for the first accused because he committed a major crime against the child,” he said.
The verdict will not be challenged or appealed, according to Isaac Deng Athian, a lawyer assigned by the justice ministry to provide legal aid to the accused traders.
“We do not criticize verdicts as lawyers.” And if there is a complaint about the verdict, there are procedures to follow. Those mechanisms are not yet ready, and I cannot say for certain because I may not be able to appeal for any of the convicted. They may seek the services of other lawyers because I was assigned by the Ministry of Justice to provide legal aid to them,” Deng explained.
When asked if he will be reassigned to provide legal aid, the lawyer stated that his task ended with the announcement of the verdict and that the ministry has not directed him to provide legal aid to the convicted.
