Sudan
18.01.02
Urgent Interventions
Sudan: arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention of three political activists by security forces in Southern Darfur
Case SDN 180102
Arbitrary arrest/ Incommunicado detention / Torture
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in the Sudan.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudanese Victims of Torture Group (SVTG), a member of the OMCT network, of the arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention of three political activists by security forces in Southern Darfur, Sudan. No reason has been given regarding their arrests, however, reports suggest that they were politically motivated.
According to the information received, at around 10 am on January 10th 2002, the security forces arrested Mr. Hassan Al Sayeir from his office in Niyala city, where he works as a tax officer. From there, he was taken to a security forces’ detention centre where he has been denied visits from his family and his lawyer. Mr. Al Sayeir is also a known asthmatic and requires medication, however, despite the families’ attempts to have it delivered to him, the security forces refused to pass on the medication to him. It is feared Mr. Al Sayeir has been subjected to torture during this time, as such acts are well documented in secret detention centres in Sudan.
According to the information received, in a separate incident, on January 5th, 2001, the security forces in Niyala city arrested Mr. Ibrahim Albashier Musa, a student at the Niyala University and member of the Democratic Front of Sudanese Students (DFSS), which is a coalition of Democratic and Communist students. Mr. Albashier Musa was later released but was forced to return every day between January 5th and 12th, 2002 to the security offices for interrogation, and reported that on most days he was subjected to forms of ill-treatment and torture. On January 12th, the security forces reportedly arrested and detained Mr. Albashier Musa, and he remains in incommunicado detention to this day.
According to the report, on January 5th, the security forces in Ed Da’ein City arrested Mr. Hussain Adam Suliman, a teacher at the Ed Da’ein Secondary School. He remains in incommunicado detention in an undisclosed location, and it is feared he may be subjected to torture.
According to the information received, all three men were arrested by security forces for alleged involvement in the regional distribution of a public communiqué by the Communist Party, which condemned the government’s policy regarding the issues of famine and tribal conflict in the Darfur region.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Hassan Al Sayeir, Mr. Ibrahim Albashier Musa, and Mr. Hussain Adam Suliman, as they are all being held in incommunicado detention, and torture and ill-treatment are well documented under such circumstances in secret detention centres in Sudan. Furthermore, OMCT condemns the Sudanese authorities’ arbitrary arrest and detention of the afore-mentioned gentlemen, based on political grounds, as it violates their rights to the freedom of association and opinion.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
· take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Hassan Al Sayeir, Mr. Ibrahim Albashier Musa, and Mr. Hussain Adam Suliman;
· intervene with the appropriate authorities in order to secure that those detained be allowed to meet with their relatives and lawyers;
· order their immediate release in the absence of valid legal charges or, if such charges exist, bring them before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee their procedural rights at all times;
· guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses:
· His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, People’s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Telex: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD- Fax: +249 11 771 7 24
· Mr. Ali Osman Yasin, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan. Telex:22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD (via Ministry of Foreign Affairs) – Fax: +249 11 7740 63
· Mr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Telex: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD – Fax: 249 11 7740 63
Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.
Geneva, January 18th, 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Arbitrary arrest/ Incommunicado detention / Torture
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in the Sudan.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudanese Victims of Torture Group (SVTG), a member of the OMCT network, of the arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention of three political activists by security forces in Southern Darfur, Sudan. No reason has been given regarding their arrests, however, reports suggest that they were politically motivated.
According to the information received, at around 10 am on January 10th 2002, the security forces arrested Mr. Hassan Al Sayeir from his office in Niyala city, where he works as a tax officer. From there, he was taken to a security forces’ detention centre where he has been denied visits from his family and his lawyer. Mr. Al Sayeir is also a known asthmatic and requires medication, however, despite the families’ attempts to have it delivered to him, the security forces refused to pass on the medication to him. It is feared Mr. Al Sayeir has been subjected to torture during this time, as such acts are well documented in secret detention centres in Sudan.
According to the information received, in a separate incident, on January 5th, 2001, the security forces in Niyala city arrested Mr. Ibrahim Albashier Musa, a student at the Niyala University and member of the Democratic Front of Sudanese Students (DFSS), which is a coalition of Democratic and Communist students. Mr. Albashier Musa was later released but was forced to return every day between January 5th and 12th, 2002 to the security offices for interrogation, and reported that on most days he was subjected to forms of ill-treatment and torture. On January 12th, the security forces reportedly arrested and detained Mr. Albashier Musa, and he remains in incommunicado detention to this day.
According to the report, on January 5th, the security forces in Ed Da’ein City arrested Mr. Hussain Adam Suliman, a teacher at the Ed Da’ein Secondary School. He remains in incommunicado detention in an undisclosed location, and it is feared he may be subjected to torture.
According to the information received, all three men were arrested by security forces for alleged involvement in the regional distribution of a public communiqué by the Communist Party, which condemned the government’s policy regarding the issues of famine and tribal conflict in the Darfur region.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Hassan Al Sayeir, Mr. Ibrahim Albashier Musa, and Mr. Hussain Adam Suliman, as they are all being held in incommunicado detention, and torture and ill-treatment are well documented under such circumstances in secret detention centres in Sudan. Furthermore, OMCT condemns the Sudanese authorities’ arbitrary arrest and detention of the afore-mentioned gentlemen, based on political grounds, as it violates their rights to the freedom of association and opinion.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
· take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Hassan Al Sayeir, Mr. Ibrahim Albashier Musa, and Mr. Hussain Adam Suliman;
· intervene with the appropriate authorities in order to secure that those detained be allowed to meet with their relatives and lawyers;
· order their immediate release in the absence of valid legal charges or, if such charges exist, bring them before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee their procedural rights at all times;
· guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses:
· His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, People’s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Telex: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD- Fax: +249 11 771 7 24
· Mr. Ali Osman Yasin, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan. Telex:22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD (via Ministry of Foreign Affairs) – Fax: +249 11 7740 63
· Mr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Telex: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD – Fax: 249 11 7740 63
Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.
Geneva, January 18th, 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.