THE HAGUE (Reuters) – A Sudanese war crimes suspect said on Monday that charges mentioned on his arrest warrant are “untrue” during an initial appearance at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The suspect, who had previously been identified in court documents as having the surname Kushayb, said his preferred name was Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman. He is accused of persecution, murder and rape in the western Sudanese region of Darfur in 2003-2004.
In the initial appearance Abd-Al-Rahman is not due to enter any plea, but the judge asked whether he had been made aware of the charges against him.
“Yes, I was informed of that but this is untrue,” Abd-Al-Rahman said. “They made me come here, following this, and I hope that I will face justice.”
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg, Toby Sterling; Editing by Alison Williams)
