Sudan
28.01.05
Urgent Interventions
Sudan: Six men arbitrarily arrested by security personnel
Case SDN 280105
Arbitrary Detention / Disappearance
The International Secretariat of OMCT has received new information concerning the following situation in Sudan.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), a member of the OMCT network, that on 7 January 2005, security personnel from Marawi city, Northern Province of Sudan, arrested and detained six men from the Zaghawa tribe, all employees of a Chinese company constructing the Hamadab Dam and who reside in a nearby village. Three have been released and the whereabouts of three are unknown:
Abakar Alyas, 22 yrs old, whereabouts unknown
Mohamed Mokhtar Gibril Abakar, 28 yrs old, whereabouts unknown
Mohamed Bush, whereabouts unknown
Mohamed Nour, released
Musa Yousif, released
Name unknown, released
According to the information received, the men were arrested following a telephone call made by Mr. Abakar Alyas from his mobile phone to a satellite in Altina, North Darfur. The security forces arrested and detained Mr. Abakar Alyas. He was interrogated and his mobile phone was searched for the number he called in Altina. During questioning, Mr. Abakar Alyas told the security personnel that he had phoned his relatives in Altina and that his roommate, Mr. Mohamed Mokhtar Gibril Abakar, had deleted the number from the phone. Both men were arrested along with four of their colleagues, also from the Zaghawa tribe. They are suspected of calling rebel groups in Darfur. On the same day of the arrest, 7 January 2005, the men were transferred to Mawawi city, Northern Province of Sudan.
On 8 January, three of the detainees were released but Abakar Alyas, Mohamed Mokhtar Gibril Abakar and Mohamed Bush remain in detention and their whereabouts are unknown.
Requested Action:
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
i. Immediately locate the whereabouts and guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Abakar Alyas, Mohamed Mokhtar Gibril Abakar and Mohamed Bush;
ii. Order their immediate release in the absence of valid legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist, bring them before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee their procedural rights at all times;
iii. Immediately order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of their arrest and alleged disappearance, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
iv. Guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international humanitarian law and human rights standards.
Addresses:
Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.
Geneva, 28th January 2005
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Arbitrary Detention / Disappearance
The International Secretariat of OMCT has received new information concerning the following situation in Sudan.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), a member of the OMCT network, that on 7 January 2005, security personnel from Marawi city, Northern Province of Sudan, arrested and detained six men from the Zaghawa tribe, all employees of a Chinese company constructing the Hamadab Dam and who reside in a nearby village. Three have been released and the whereabouts of three are unknown:
Abakar Alyas, 22 yrs old, whereabouts unknown
Mohamed Mokhtar Gibril Abakar, 28 yrs old, whereabouts unknown
Mohamed Bush, whereabouts unknown
Mohamed Nour, released
Musa Yousif, released
Name unknown, released
According to the information received, the men were arrested following a telephone call made by Mr. Abakar Alyas from his mobile phone to a satellite in Altina, North Darfur. The security forces arrested and detained Mr. Abakar Alyas. He was interrogated and his mobile phone was searched for the number he called in Altina. During questioning, Mr. Abakar Alyas told the security personnel that he had phoned his relatives in Altina and that his roommate, Mr. Mohamed Mokhtar Gibril Abakar, had deleted the number from the phone. Both men were arrested along with four of their colleagues, also from the Zaghawa tribe. They are suspected of calling rebel groups in Darfur. On the same day of the arrest, 7 January 2005, the men were transferred to Mawawi city, Northern Province of Sudan.
On 8 January, three of the detainees were released but Abakar Alyas, Mohamed Mokhtar Gibril Abakar and Mohamed Bush remain in detention and their whereabouts are unknown.
Requested Action:
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
i. Immediately locate the whereabouts and guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Abakar Alyas, Mohamed Mokhtar Gibril Abakar and Mohamed Bush;
ii. Order their immediate release in the absence of valid legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist, bring them before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee their procedural rights at all times;
iii. Immediately order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of their arrest and alleged disappearance, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
iv. Guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international humanitarian law and human rights standards.
Addresses:
- His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, President' s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan. Fax: + 249 183 783223
- Mr. Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan. Fax: + 249 183 788941
- Mr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affair, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan. Fax: + 249 183 779383
- Dr. Abdelmuneim Osman Mohamed Taha, Advisory Council for Human Rights, PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan. Fax: + 249 183 770883
- His Excellency Ambassador Mr. Mohamed Al- Hassan Ahmed Al-Haj, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sudan to the United Nations in Geneva, PO Box 335, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +4122 731 26 56, +41 22 716 19 70, E-mail: mission.sudan@ties.itu.int.
Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.
Geneva, 28th January 2005
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.