Sudan
02.10.03
Urgent Interventions
Sudan: continuing detention of 12 persons, who are at risk of being subjected to torture
Case SDN 021003
Arbitrary detention / Ill-treatment / Torture / Risk 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 Sudanese Organisation against Torture, a member of the OMCT network, of the continuing detention of 12 persons, who are being held without official charges, and are at risk of being subjected to torture, in Sudan.
According to the information received, 12 persons who were arrested on August 9th, 2003, from the Wady Salih and Zalingy provinces in Darfour, Western Sudan, remain in detention despite a lack of official charges against them. They are being detained at the military intelligence offices in Zalingy, and there are suspicions that the detainees have been seriously injured and wounded as a result of torture. Furthermore, on September 3rd, 2003, the Sudanese Government and the armed groups in Darfour signed an agreement in the Chadian town of Abeche, which stipulates the release of all prisoners of war and those detained in connection with the Darfour crisis from both sides, which should include the detainees in question. The agreement also covered cease-fire, cessation of all operations that contribute to the deterioration of the situation, and ways of controlling armed irregular groups, and stipulates that the two parties should commit themselves to consolidating a comprehensive and permanent peace in the region and that the cease-fire would go into effect on Saturday September 6th for a period of 45 days.
The detainees from Arola and Fafo, Wady Salih province are the following: 1. Zakarea Mohamed Ahmed Ali, age 27, farmer, from Arola; 2. Ibraheam Omer Altahir, age 25, farmer, from Arola; 3. Altigany Yagoub Omer, age 25, farmer, from Arola; 4. Ahmed Yousif Ateam, age 26, farmer, from Arola; 5. Easa Alnour Salih, age 35, Omda (community leader), from Farfo (was arrested on August 30th, 2003).
The detainees from Zalingy are the following: 6. Nasr elDean Tambor; 7. Abdel Mawla Adam Abdel Mawla; 8. Samear Ibraheah Shanoda, student at Zalingy University; 9. Adam Khawaja; 10. Ahmed Arbab Jouma; 11. Musa Abdel Rahman; 12. Aboud Mendy.
The prisoners are reportedly being denied family visits. The detainees, who all share a single cell, have complained about the lack of food and its quality, and also about the condition of the cell. An eyewitness states that Mr. Easa Alnour Salih was tortured and is in a very poor physical condition as a result. He was beaten with sticks and flogged on his back. There are concerns that the other prisoners may have been subjected to torture as well.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the psychological and physical integrity of the detainees, especially in view of the allegations acts of torture, and urges the authorities to guarantee their personal integrity and ensure that they are provided with appropriate medical assistance. OMCT further condemns the conditions of detention of the victims and urges the authorities to release the prisoners immediately in accordance with the September 3rd agreement. OMCT also calls for an immediate and impartial investigation to be launched into these allegations of torture and ill-treatment, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to justice and award adequate reparation to the victims.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the afore-mentioned 12 detainees being held in the military intelligence offices in Zalingy;
ii. intervene with the proper authorities to ensure that adequate medical assistance is provided as a matter of urgency to all persons who require it;
iii. guarantee that the detainees are granted access to legal representation and family visits;
iv. order their immediate release in accordance with the September 3rd agreement and in the absence of 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;
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
· President of the Republic of Sudan, His Excellency Lieutenant-General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President' s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +24911 771651/783223/779977
· First Vice-President, Mr Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, People's Palace PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax : +249 11 771651/ 779977
· Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mr Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 771479/774842/774906
· Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mustafa Osman Ismail, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax :+249 11 779383
· Advisory Council for Human Rights, Dr Yasir Sid Ahmed, PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 779173/770883
· Minister of Internal Affairs, Major General Abdul-Rahim Muhammed Hussein, Ministry of Interior, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 774339 / 776554 / 777900 / 773046 / 770186
· Minister of Federal Government, Dr Nafie Ali Nafie, Office of the Presidents People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax : +24911 771651/783223
· Governor of North Darfur, General Ibrahim Sulayman, c/o People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 731 42696
· Governor of South Darfur, Lieutenant-General Adam Hamid Musa, c/o People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 771 651/787676/7832332
· His Excellency Ambassador Mr. Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim, 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; mission.sudan@bluewin.ch.
Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.
Geneva, October 2nd, 2003
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Arbitrary detention / Ill-treatment / Torture / Risk 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 Sudanese Organisation against Torture, a member of the OMCT network, of the continuing detention of 12 persons, who are being held without official charges, and are at risk of being subjected to torture, in Sudan.
According to the information received, 12 persons who were arrested on August 9th, 2003, from the Wady Salih and Zalingy provinces in Darfour, Western Sudan, remain in detention despite a lack of official charges against them. They are being detained at the military intelligence offices in Zalingy, and there are suspicions that the detainees have been seriously injured and wounded as a result of torture. Furthermore, on September 3rd, 2003, the Sudanese Government and the armed groups in Darfour signed an agreement in the Chadian town of Abeche, which stipulates the release of all prisoners of war and those detained in connection with the Darfour crisis from both sides, which should include the detainees in question. The agreement also covered cease-fire, cessation of all operations that contribute to the deterioration of the situation, and ways of controlling armed irregular groups, and stipulates that the two parties should commit themselves to consolidating a comprehensive and permanent peace in the region and that the cease-fire would go into effect on Saturday September 6th for a period of 45 days.
The detainees from Arola and Fafo, Wady Salih province are the following: 1. Zakarea Mohamed Ahmed Ali, age 27, farmer, from Arola; 2. Ibraheam Omer Altahir, age 25, farmer, from Arola; 3. Altigany Yagoub Omer, age 25, farmer, from Arola; 4. Ahmed Yousif Ateam, age 26, farmer, from Arola; 5. Easa Alnour Salih, age 35, Omda (community leader), from Farfo (was arrested on August 30th, 2003).
The detainees from Zalingy are the following: 6. Nasr elDean Tambor; 7. Abdel Mawla Adam Abdel Mawla; 8. Samear Ibraheah Shanoda, student at Zalingy University; 9. Adam Khawaja; 10. Ahmed Arbab Jouma; 11. Musa Abdel Rahman; 12. Aboud Mendy.
The prisoners are reportedly being denied family visits. The detainees, who all share a single cell, have complained about the lack of food and its quality, and also about the condition of the cell. An eyewitness states that Mr. Easa Alnour Salih was tortured and is in a very poor physical condition as a result. He was beaten with sticks and flogged on his back. There are concerns that the other prisoners may have been subjected to torture as well.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the psychological and physical integrity of the detainees, especially in view of the allegations acts of torture, and urges the authorities to guarantee their personal integrity and ensure that they are provided with appropriate medical assistance. OMCT further condemns the conditions of detention of the victims and urges the authorities to release the prisoners immediately in accordance with the September 3rd agreement. OMCT also calls for an immediate and impartial investigation to be launched into these allegations of torture and ill-treatment, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to justice and award adequate reparation to the victims.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the afore-mentioned 12 detainees being held in the military intelligence offices in Zalingy;
ii. intervene with the proper authorities to ensure that adequate medical assistance is provided as a matter of urgency to all persons who require it;
iii. guarantee that the detainees are granted access to legal representation and family visits;
iv. order their immediate release in accordance with the September 3rd agreement and in the absence of 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;
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
· President of the Republic of Sudan, His Excellency Lieutenant-General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President' s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +24911 771651/783223/779977
· First Vice-President, Mr Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, People's Palace PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax : +249 11 771651/ 779977
· Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mr Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 771479/774842/774906
· Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mustafa Osman Ismail, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax :+249 11 779383
· Advisory Council for Human Rights, Dr Yasir Sid Ahmed, PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 779173/770883
· Minister of Internal Affairs, Major General Abdul-Rahim Muhammed Hussein, Ministry of Interior, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 774339 / 776554 / 777900 / 773046 / 770186
· Minister of Federal Government, Dr Nafie Ali Nafie, Office of the Presidents People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax : +24911 771651/783223
· Governor of North Darfur, General Ibrahim Sulayman, c/o People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 731 42696
· Governor of South Darfur, Lieutenant-General Adam Hamid Musa, c/o People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 771 651/787676/7832332
· His Excellency Ambassador Mr. Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim, 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; mission.sudan@bluewin.ch.
Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.
Geneva, October 2nd, 2003
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.