Concern for health of detained Sudanese journalist

The family of journalist Hassan Ishag, detained in the North Kordofan capital of El Obeid, demand his and other political detainees’ immediate release. The family also expressed its concern about the declining health of Ishag (31). He is suffering from severe headaches, and pains in one of his feet, as a result of torture in a security detention centre in En Nahud, West Kordofan, before he was transferred to El Obeid. Ishag, correspondent for Khartoum-based El Jareeda newspaper, was detained by security forces in En Nahud on 10 June, after the publication of an interview with Sudanese Congress Party party leader Ibrahim El Sheikh. El Sheikh had accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), of committing atrocities against civilians in Darfur and Kordofan. For this reason, El Sheikh himself was detained in En Nahud on 8 June. The father of Ishag told members of the Sudanese Journalists’ Network, Hassan Warrag and Hussein Saad, who visited him during Eid El Fitr last week at his home in Hasaheesa, El Gezira State, that hearing the news about his son being detained had been “very hard to swallow”. “But Hassan’s stance against injustice, and the solidarity of his friends and colleagues have eased the pain for us”.   He called for the immediate release of his son and the other political detainees in Sudan. “Else they should be charged and brought to justice.” Photo: The family of Hassan Ishag in Hasaheesa, 30 July 2014 (Sudanese Journalists’ Network) Related: Call to release political detainees in Sudan (24 June 2014) En Nahud detainees in Sudan’s West Kordofan on hunger strike (19 June 2014) Police torture detained journalist in Sudan’s West Kordofan (13 June 2014) Sudanese Congress Party members and journalist detained (11 June 2014)