Sudan: Arrest / Torture

Case SDN 050804
Arrest / 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 Sudanese Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), a member of the OMCT network, of the arrest and alleged torture of Mr. Yahya Ismail Omer, 34 yrs and a farmer from the Zaghawa tribe.
According to the information received, on 29 July 2004, Mr. Yahya Ismail was arrested in his home by military intelligence members on the suspicion of supporting the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA). He was taken and detained at the military intelligence offices in Nyala.
It was alleged that during his detention he was tortured : officers in charge kicked him in the stomach, tied his arms with rope, and punched him in the face and head to force him to confess that he is supporting the opposition group. Currently, there are no confirmation whether he remains in detention at the military intelligence offices in Nyala.
OMCT calls upon the Sudanese authorities to immediately locate Mr. Mr. Yahya Ismail’s whereabouts, to guarantee his personal integrity and to release him in the absence of legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards. OMCT also urges the authorities to launch a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into these events, in order to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. Finally, OMCT calls on the authorities to guarantee that adequate reparation is provided to Mr. Mr. Yahya Ismail.


Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:

i. immediately locate the whereabouts of Mr. Yahya Ismail Omer;

ii. take all necessary measures to guarantee his physical and psychological integrity;

iii. order his immediate release in the absence of legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist, bring him before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times;

iv. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of their arrest and any allegations of torture, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;

v. 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, 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, E-mail: mission.sudan@ties.itu.int.
  

Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.

Geneva, 5 August 2004

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


Click here for PDF version of this article.