British MPs call for pressure on Sudan over detained UK-Sudan citizen

British Members of Parliament and Peers, including the Chair and several Vice-Chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Sudan and South Sudan, have called on British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to outline what steps he will take to secure the release of British-Sudanese national Dr Sidqi Kaballo.

Dr Kaballo is a senior member of the Communist Party of Sudan, who was detained with others in January following popular protests over price hikes. Kaballo, who is based in Britain, has dual Sudanese British citizenship.

An open letter to Johnson on Thursday, which marked Dr Kaballo’s 70^th birthday, is signed my Richard Burden, MP for Birmingham Northfield, the constituency where Kaballo lives in the UK. It is undersigned by 22 Peers and MPs.

Sir Henry Bellingham, Chair pf the APPG Sudan & South Sudan, said:

“It’s unacceptable that Dr Kaballo, a British citizen, has been held in detention without charge or trial for over two months.

As Dr Kaballo marks his 70^th birthday today in prison in Darfur, we’re calling on the UK Government to do all they can to secure his release.”

Richard Burden MP: “Today Dr Kaballo should be in my constituency celebrating his 70th birthday with his family and friends. His family were planning a big celebration for the occasion. What they were not planning for was Dr Kaballo to be thousands of miles from his family in a prison cell in Darfur.

As a cross-party group of MPs and Peers many of us have been contacted by constituents who are concerned about the grave human rights situation in Sudan and the arbitrary detention of Dr Kaballo and other political detainees. It is now over two months since Dr Kaballo was first arrested and he remains arbitrarily detained without charge or trial. On Dr Kaballo’s 70th birthday we are today calling on the Foreign Secretary to press the Government of Sudan at the highest levels to immediately release Dr Kaballo.”

Ahmed Kaballo, Dr Kaballo’s son, said: “My father has committed no crime and therefore should not be detained.

“The fact that they can detain a 70 year old diabetic man without charge for peacefully protesting the price of bread is the true crime not only against my father but against the people of Sudan.”

We would be grateful if you could outline what further steps you will take to ensure the safe release of Dr Kaballo so that he can return to his family in the UK, the letter to the Foreign Secretary concludes.