Sudan: guarantee safety of detainees

Continued detention and harassment of political opposition party members and activists despite Presidential pledge to cease detentions and open up dialogue

(19 June 2014) Sudanese authorities continue to subject independent activists and political opposition party members to arbitrary arrest and detention a little over two months after President Omar al Bashir’s announcement on 6 April that all political detainees would be released in a bid to open up dialogue on the future of the country.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) previously reported the arrests of three activists on 12 May 2014 and four political opposition party members on 16 May. The four political opposition party members have since been released. The three activists, arrested by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) from a demonstration at the University of Khartoum on 12 May, remain detained without charge. There are serious concerns for their safety following reports that one detainee, Mohamed Salah, was missing his eyeglasses and showed signs of having been beaten and sustained an eye injury during a family visit on 14 June. Activists campaigning for their release were detained briefly by the NISS on 9 June.

Between 8-10 June ACJPS documented further arrests of activists and political opposition party members in Khartoum, Blue Nile, and North Kordofan states. On 8 June two prominent activists were arrested in Khartoum after they participated in a demonstration condemning high levels of youth unemployment outside the offices of Khartoum’s state Governor, Abdulrahman Alkhidir. They were released later the same day. On 10 June in Blue Nile state five members of the Pharmacists’ Trade Union and three graphic designers who had designed materials for the Union were arrested and released later the same day in connection with a strike called by the Union.

On 8 June in North Kordofan state joint forces of the NISS and police arrested the leader of the Sudanese Congress Party, Ibrahim Elsheikh, from his home after he made public statements critical of the riot police in Sudan. Two days later on 10 June police arrested Hassan Ishag, a journalist with Al Gareeda newspaper, after he attended a public forum held by the Sudanese Congress Party in North Kordofan. He was reportedly transferred to Al Nuhod prison without charge following a decision by the local Governor to detain him under the emergency law in force in the state. Both men remain in detention.

Update on the University of Khartoum detainees; harassment and detention of family members and protestors calling for their release

The following three activists were arrested at 7pm on 12 May near Khartoum University:

1. Taj Alsir Jafar, (m). Detained incommunicado.
2. Moamar Musa, (m). Detained incommunicado.

3. Mohammed Salah, (m), 24 years of age. Detained incommunicado until 14 June when he received a twenty-five minute family visit. Mr. Salah had previously been arrested by the NISS on 20 March following his participation in the University of Khartoum demonstrations on 11 March. He was detained incommunicado by the NISS until his release on 7 April without charge.

Mr. Salah’s family reported that the NISS did not confirm his detention until a week after his arrest, and that he was detained incommunicado until the first family visit was permitted a month later, on 14 June 2014. The visit was supervised by the NISS, who refused to allow the family to ask questions about Mr. Salah’s place of detention. His family reported that there were signs of injury on his face, hands, and right eye and that he was missing his eyeglasses.

Prior to the family visit, Mohamed Salah’s father, Salah Abdurrahman, was arrested and briefly detained by the NISS alongside three other demonstrators on 9 June, from a peaceful demonstration organised by a group calling themselves the “Sudanese Solidarity Committee with the Detainees”, held in “Area 2” of Khartoum . The demonstrators called for the release of all political detainees in Sudan.

The names of the demonstrators arrested are below.

1. Salah Abdurrahman, (m), activist.
2. Zakaria Mohamed Hamad, (m), activist.
3. Emad Hamid, (m), activist.

The name of the fourth demonstrator is unknown. The entire group was released the same day.

Arbitrary Arrest of Activists

On 8 June the NISS in Khartoum arrested two activists from a demonstration of approximately 200 people outside the offices of Khartoum governor Abdulrahman Alkhidir. The demonstration, protesting high youth unemployment, had been organised on Facebook. The Governor had previously made a statement reported in Al Gareeda newspaperguaranteeing a job to any unemployed young person who came to his offices.

The names of the two activists, who were released the same evening from NISS offices at street 59 of Al Amarat in Khartoum, are below.

1. Gazi Alrayah Al-Sanhouri, (m), activist and human rights defender. Mr. Al-Sanhouri was previously arrested during an armed raid on his home in Khartoum on 12 March 2014 and detained without charge until early April 2014. He was also detained by the NISS without charge for two months from 15 December 2013 to 8 February 2014 in connection with his activism to highlight the deteriorating human rights situation in South Kordofan.
2. Mrwan Alkanzi, (m), activist.

The two detainees were questioned on the organisation of the campaign and its membership before being released and ordered to report to the NISS’ offices the next morning. They did so, and were held till 7pm before being released. This continued for three days from 9 – 11 June.

Harassment and detention of trade union activists in Blue Nile state

On 10 June the Pharmacists’ Trade Union in Blue Nile state went on strike to protest the failure of the Government of Sudan to provide them their stipends. The strike was called off at 1.30pm when the Governor of Blue Nile intervened and promised to pay the pharmacists their stipends. Later in the afternoon, the NISS arrested five members of the Pharmacists’ Trade Union from Al Damazein town.

1. Dr. Mohamed Ali, (m), head of the Pharmacists’ Trade Union.
2. Dr. Musab Mubarak, (m), member of the Pharmacists’ Trade Union.
3. Dr. Abdulazeem Ahmed, (m), member of the Pharmacists’ Trade Union.
4. Dr. Muhab Awad, (m), member of the Pharmacists’ Trade Union.
5. Dr. Mohamed Taj Al Sir, (m), member of the Pharmacists’ Trade Union.

Three graphic designers from the Alwan shop in Al Damazein, Blue Nile state, who designed signs for the Pharmacists’ Trade Union, were also arrested in the afternoon. Their names are below.

1. Omer Ibinawaf, (m).
2. Ali, (m).
3. Al Tayab, (m).

The entire group was released the same day at 12.30pm after being interrogated on the leadership and political affiliation of the Pharmacists’ Trade Union.

Detention of Sudanese Congress Party President

On 8 June joint forces of the NISS and police arrested Mr. Ibrahim Elsheikh, (m), from his home in Al Nuhod, North Kordofan state. Mr. Elsheikh is the president of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party. Mr. Elsheikh had reportedly made statements critical of the riot police in public forums.

Mr. Elsheikh was taken to the police station in Al Nuhod where he was charged under articles 50 (undermining the constitutional system) and 62 (inciting feelings of unrest among disciplined forces and abetment of disturbing order) of the 1991 Sudanese Penal Code in connection with his alleged statements. Article 50 can carry the death penalty. He is still currently being held by the police in Al Nuhod.

Two days later, on 10 June, the police of Al Nuhod arrested Hassan Ishag, (m), a journalist working with Al Gareeda newspaper. Mr. Ishag was in North Kordofan to attend public forums held by the Sudanese Congress Party. Mr. Ishag was reportedly beaten by the police and interrogated on the reason for his visit to Al Nuhod. At 7.30pm Mr. Ishag was transferred to Al Nuhod prison without charge following a decision by the local Governor to detain him under the emergency law in force in the state.

ACJPS is deeply concerned for the safety of detainees Ibrahim Elsheikh and Hassan Ishag, Taj Alsir Jafar, Moamar Musa and Mohammed Salah and urges the Sudanese authorities to permit prompt access to their lawyers and families and any medical assistance they may require.

Background

This is the latest in a wave of harassment and detention of activists based solely on their political beliefs in Sudan. ACJPS has documented increasing restrictions on the right to freedom of assembly and association, including the right to form or join political parties in recent months, despite pledges by President Omar al-Bashir to open up space for political dialogue in advance of national elections and the constitutional review process.

On 6 April 2014, the President ordered the release of all political detainees and declared that political parties had the right to carry out their activities and organise rallies. However, one day later the NISS prevented the opposition Reform Now from holding a political forum in Omdurman and arrested a leader of the party’s student wing, Emad Al-Dien Hashim. On 15 April Bashir issued decree No.158, which forbids political parties from organising meetings in their own venues without approval and requires permission for public meetings 48 hours in advance. On 1 May the Sudanese Political Parties Affairs Council announced that the Sudanese Republican Party’s application to register as a political party had been rejected.

In late May the NISS reportedly prevented activists and families of detainees from submitting a memorandum to the National Commission for Human Rights calling for the immediate release of political prisoners. The memo contained documentation of violations committed by the Government of Sudan since the 27 January speech by Omar al Bashir that announced a national dialogue.

This is not the first time the Sudanese President has made a public commitment to release all political detainees. On 1 April 2013, al-Bashir announced that all political prisoners would be released. Authorities released 24 people after the announcement, but at least 100 other people remained in detention on the basis of their presumed political affiliations. Later in September of that year, the government violently suppressed anti-government protests sparked by the announcement of austerity measures and arrested hundreds of people.

Dr. Sidig Noreen Ali Abdalla, a university professor who is thought to have been detained on account of his advocacy on the situation in Darfur, remains without charge in NISS custody in El Obeid town, North Kordofan state. He has been detained incommunicado for more than four months since his arrest on 16 January.

Sadiq al-Mahdi, the leader of the opposition National Umma Party who was arrested on 17 May after he accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of committing atrocities in Sudan’s war zones, was released from NISS detention on 15 June 2014. It is not clear if the charges against him, which include undermining the constitutional system, have been dropped.

Contact: Katherine Perks, ACJPS Programme Director, Kampala, on info@acjps.org or +256 775072136