Sudan: Abuduction of Mr. Mohamed Issa Kouko by JEM.

Case SDN 270406

Abduction / Fear of Torture

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 been informed by the Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), a member of the OMCT network, that on 17 April 2006, Mr. Mohamed Issa Kouko (35 yrs), Lasayi tribe, was arrested by armed men belonging to the rebel opposition group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

According to the information received, Mr. Mohamed Issa Kouko was arrested by the JEM at Ala-ayit town, Eastern Nyala, Southern Dafur. After two days of detention in this town he was transferred on 19 April 2006 by the soldiers of JEM to their camp in Haskanita village, East of Nyala, where he remains incommunicado.

OMCT is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Mohamed Issa Kouko and calls on JEM to immediately release Mr. Mohamed Issa Kouko as they have no power to arrest and detain anyone. Mr. Kouko’s detention therefore amounts to abduction, which is in violation of international humanitarian law, in particular Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflict.

Requested Action

Please write to the Justice and Equality Movement urging them to:
i. To guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Mohamed Issa Kouko;
ii. Immediately release Mr. Mohamed Issa Kouko;
iii. Respect international humanitarian law and to end impunity for crimes committed by its members.

Addresses

• Malik AdamTerab
  Military Spokesperson for JEM
  Sudanjem01@sudanjem.com
  
  
• Mohammed Targoni
  info@sudanjem.com

***
Geneva, 27 April 2006

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