A prominent Sudanese lawyer has been arrested

A prominent Sudanese lawyer and critic of the government has been sentenced to five months in jail for anti-government activities.

Ghazi Suleiman heads an alliance of lawyers that says its wants a return to democracy in Sudan.

The group had declared that recent Bar Association elections were rigged after a pro-government candidate won the poll.

They have demanded that the outcome of the election be investigated.

Correspondents say that since the military takeover eight years ago, the independence of the judiciary has been sharply reduced.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service