The special court on Wednesday denied the defense request to open the phones of seven co-accused of suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar in the ongoing Nasir incident trial.
Presiding Judge James Alala Deng said the defense could only review hash values, digital codes used to confirm data integrity, provided by the prosecution’s forensic expert. Physical access to the devices was barred.
The judge adjourned the trial to Monday and instructed the forensic expert to make the hash values available to the defense team by then.
Defense lawyers argued that examining the phones was necessary to verify the authenticity of messages, photos, and videos extracted from the devices.
Prosecutors warned that allowing access to the phones could risk evidence tampering and further delay the trial.
The Nasir garrison attack in March 2025 killed 257 soldiers.
Dr. Riek Machar remains under house arrest, while co-accused face multiple charges, including murder and terrorism.
The court emphasized protecting sensitive evidence while balancing defense rights.
