Ali Kushyab pleaded not guilty as the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court opened his trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity on Tuesday.
The militia leader is accused of 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Darfur, Sudan, between August 2003 and at least April 2004.
After the reading of the charges, Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman aka Kushyab told the court he understood the nature of the charges and plead not guilty to all the charges.
He said he voluntarily surrendered himself to the ICC to correct the misinformation against him.
The courts will start hearing the witnesses on Wednesday.
The Senior Trial Lawyer Julian Nicholls told reporters on Tuesday they have 124 witnesses.
The first team of ICC investigators arrived in Darfur in March 2021 after the signing of a cooperation agreement with the Sudanese civilian government in February 2021.
Before the fall of the al-Bachir regime, the ICC investigation teams worked among the refugees in Chad and other countries.
The ICC requested the handover of Ahmed Huron a former state minister for interior to try with Kushayb but the Sudanese government did not respond to their request.
The Court’s Prosecutor Karim Khan plans to travel to Sudan once again to discuss the handover of all the wanted former officials including Omer al-Bashir.
U.S. welcomes
The United States welcomed Kushyab’s trial in The Hague saying it marks the beginning of the first trial against any senior leader for crimes committed by the al-Bashir regime in Darfur
“In 2004, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell determined, based in part on evidence collected by the State Department, that a genocide was taking place. Since that day, the United States has steadfastly called for those responsible for genocide and other atrocities to be held accountable,” said Ned Price, U.S. Department Spokesperson.
Price added that this trial is a signal to those responsible for human rights violations and abuses in Darfur that impunity will not last in the face of the determination for justice to prevail.
Source: Sudan Tribune