Trial opens of 4 accused of killing Sudan policeman

The trial of four people accused of fatally stabbing a senior police officer during anti-coup protests in Sudan opened in the capital Khartoum on Sunday.

The judge ordered an investigation into allegations the four had been tortured in custody and adjourned the court until June 12.

General Ali Bareema was killed in January, according to authorities, one of two police fatalities during months of ongoing protests that erupted in the wake of an October 25 coup led by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Four protesters - Mohammed "Tupac" Adam, Mohamed al-Fattah, Mossaab al-Sherif and Ahmed al-Nanna - were arrested and charged in January over Bareema's death, and have remained in custody since.

In March, they held a week-long hunger strike in Khartoum's Kober prison to protest against "inhumane treatment", "police brutality" and a lack of due process, their lawyers said.

Hundreds rallied in front of the courthouse to demand the release of the defendants, who made peace signs as they were escorted inside by security forces.

On Saturday, thousands once more took to the streets of Sudan's capital Khartoum, where two protesters were killed. In a statement, the police blamed the deaths on demonstrators' "violent and unjustified hostility".

Military officials also recommended allowing the live TV unit of the Qatar-based network Al Jazeera to resume operations in Sudan, after authorities banned it in January for "unprofessional" coverage of protests.