Arrest of 30 Civil Society Activists in Khartoum
The Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (DRDC) received information that on Sunday, 22nd January 2006 around 18hrs Khartoum local time the security forces in Sudan arrested about 30 human rights and pro-democracy activists. They include 22 Sudanese citizens and 8 foreign nationals. The foreign nationals were visiting Sudan as part of the African and international civil society representatives attending the 6th AU Summit of Heads of State and Government, which will take place in Khartoum during the period 23rd – 24th January 2006. Those arrested were taking part in a civil society consultation held in Khartoum today. The consultation was organised by the Darfur Consortium and its local partners the Sudan Social Development Organisation and Sudan Organisation against Torture as a civil society contribution to the work of the 6th AU Summit of Heads of State and Government.
The Sudanese nationals currently held in custody include the internationally acclaimed human rights campaigner Mr. Salih Mahmoud Mohamed Osman. Mr. Osman is a lawyer and member of the current interim Parliament of Sudan. He was arrested despite his parliamentary immunity. The foreign nationals held in custody include Ms. Deirdre Clancy (Ireland), Co-Director of the International Refugee Rights Initiative and Coordinator of the Darfur Consortium in addition to 4 British activists, 2 Zimbabweans and an Italian activist.
DRDC is very concerned about this act of the security forces in Khartoum, which blatantly infringes upon the rights and personal freedoms of those arrested. This act deprives the detainees of the opportunity to effectively contribute to the work of the 6th AU Summit of Heads of State and Government.
DRDC condemns this arbitrary and unwarranted arrest of Mr. Salih Mahmoud and Ms. Deirdre Clancy and their colleagues and expresses its fears that their lives could be in serious danger as Sudan’s security forces are notorious for their routine practice of physical and psychological torture against detainees. DRDC calls upon the government of Sudan to release all those arrested without any delay. They should be accorded all due protection and guarantee of non-repetition until they accomplish their mission and leave the country.
Please send your letters of protest to the following: -
H. E. Marshal Omar Hassan Al-Bashir Dr. Lam Akol
Presidential Palace Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 281, Khartoum (Sudan) PO Box 873, Khartoum (Sudan)
Fax No.: 00249 183 78 32 23 Fax No.: 00249 183 77 93 83
DRDC/PR/2006/01 Geneva, 22.01.2006
DARFUR DOCUMENTATION CENTRE
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