By Opheera McDoom KHARTOUM, June 18 (Reuters) - Sudan put 39 people on trial on Wednesday accused of taking part in a Darfur rebel attack on the capital last month. Clashes centred on a suburb of Khartoum left at least 200 dead during the first attack on the city by a rebel group from one of Sudan's regions in decades of multiple civil wars. Three special courts have been set up to try 13 suspects each, drawing accusations from defence lawyers that they will not get a fair hearing. The accused are being tried under Sudan's terrorism law and some could face the death penalty. "These special courts are created by the chief justice, who is appointed by the president and cannot be neutral -- normal courts should be used," one member of the defence team Kamal Omer told Reuters. The hearing was adjourned to give lawyers time to meet their clients. Defence lawyers said the justice ministry had denied their requests to meet the accused before the first hearing. The May 10 attack on the western Omdurman suburb was carried out by the rebel Justice and Equality Movement. Omer said none of the big names the government said had been caught, like senior commander Abdel Aziz el-Nur Ashr, were in court on Wednesday. "They are all very young boys, many of them look like they could be between 15-18 years old." Thousands of Darfuris and other opposition supporters were rounded up for questioning after the attack, prompting rights groups to voice concern. New York-based Human Rights Watch on Wednesday urged the government to release those arrested or promptly charge them, saying they had spoken to people who described torture and beatings after being detained. "Eyewitnesses reported to Human Rights Watch the deaths of at least 10 people in detention from ill-treatment and poor conditions in prisons and secret detention centres," it said. The group also criticised what it called the persecution of journalists and human rights activists since the attack. It also condemned censorship of the independent press, which has been intensified. "Human Rights Watch urges the international community to immediately and publicly call on Sudan to end all arbitrary arrests and detention," it added. (Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
Chadian rebels move during an attack that led to heavy fighting in the eastern Chadian town of Gos Beida June 14, 2008. Chad accused Sudan's army of attacking a town on ...
