Sudan
07.03.02
Urgent Interventions

Sudan: 24-year old student arrested and severely tortured by the Security Forces in Khartoum

Case SDN 070302
Arbitrary arrest/Torture/Release

The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Sudan.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has received information from the Sudanese Victims of Torture Group (SVTG), a member of the OMCT network, that on March 2nd, 2002, 24-year old Nagi Marghani Mohamed Salih, a 4th year student at Omdurman College of Technological Science, and a member of the Student Democratic Front, was arrested and severely tortured by the Security Forces in Khartoum.

According to the information received, Nagi Marghani Mohamed Salih was taken to the Security Forces’ offices near the Farough Cementary (Maghabir Farough), where he was beaten and threatened with rape with an empty bottle, suffering severe injuries to his ear, chest, back and legs. The security officers who are the alleged perpetrators of this assault have been identified as Mohamed Abdullah, Iyeldin, Bashir, and Faris.

Nagi Marghani Mohamed Salih was reportedly forced to sign a statement declaring him an employee of the Security Forces with a salary of Ls 500,000, as well as a document claiming that he had supplied the Security Forces with a list of students classified by political affiliation. Nagi Marghani Mohamed Salih was allegedly threatened by the Security Forces with being dismissed from university if he did not cooperate. He was released at 9p.m. that same day. Amir Mohamed Suleiman, a lawyer and member of SVTG will represent Nagi Marghani Mohamed Salih who has filed a formal complaint to the authorities.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in Article 5 that 'No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.' The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states in Article 7: 'No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.'

The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about Nagi Marghani Mohamed Salih’s arbitrary arrest and subsequent torture at the hands of the Sudanese authorities. OMCT is also concerned about the authorities’ use of arbitrary arrests, detention and torture as a means of stifling political opposition in Sudan. Furthermore, OMCT fears that the alleged perpetrators of these acts will not be brought to justice and that Nagi Marghani Mohamed Salih will not be awarded adequate compensation.

Action requested

Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:

i. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these events and guarantee that those responsible are brought to trial and that the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions are applied as provided by law;
ii. guarantee adequate reparation to Nagi Marghani Mohamed Salih
iii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards, and conform to all recommendations made by the Human Rights Committee.

Addresses

· His Excellency Lieutenant Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 24911 787676/783223.
· His Excellency Mr Mustafa Osman Ismail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 24911 779383.
· His Excellency Ambassador Mr. Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sudan to the United Nations in Geneva, PO Box 335, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +4122 731 26 56, E-mail: mission.sudan@ties.itu.int .

Please also write to the diplomatic representatives of Sudan in your country.

Geneva, 7 March 2002

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.