The National Intelligence and Security Service Arrests Two Citizens, One Dies While in Custody

(23 March 2012) In two different cases the week of 12 March, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) arrested two people, one of whom died while in police custody.  The disparate nature of these incidents illustrates the latitude that the NISS has been given under the 2010 National Security Act and the brutality that often occurs while citizens are under NISS custody.

At 2:30am on the morning of 14 March, Ms. Jalila Khamis was arrested by members of the NISS.  The prior evening she had given a speech at the Art House in Khartoum in a forum commemorating International Women’s Day.  Khamis is originally from South Kordofan and a member of Stand for Nuba Mountains Women’s Group (SEWEB), an organization that promotes the role of women in the ongoing peace process in Sudan.

On 15 March, Mr. Khiir-Alla Ismail died while in NISS custody.  He was beaten by security officials in Almujilad, South Kordofan when he attempted to refuse arrest. A short time later his family was called to the NISS offices where they recovered his body and discovered that he had been shot six times.  Mr. Ismail was a political activist.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) condemns the death of Mr. Ismail and calls on the government of Sudan to investigate this incident and hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.

ACJPS also calls on the Government of Sudan to immediately release Ms. Khamis. The 2010 National Security Act allows security officials to detain suspects for up to four and a half months without judicial review, before charges must be levied.  ACJPS is concerned that this provides the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) the freedom to detain activists without the burden of justification.

Contact: Osman Hummaida, Executive Director of the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) 

Phone: +44 7956095738
E-mail: osman@acjps.org