Darfur lawyers demand release of 3 detained since October

A group of Darfuri lawyers in a statement Sunday demanded the release of Mr. Jaafar Sabki, a columnist for Al Sahafa newspaper, and two activists, Mr. Abdelrahman Adam Abdelrahman and Ms. Kauther Abdelhaq. The latter two have been detained since 30 October, and Mr. Sabki since 3 November. The lawyers group strongly condemned the treatment of these three as “inhuman and degrading to human dignity.” In the statement the lawyers accused the security service of a repressive approach and discriminatory practices against people of Darfuri origin. The lawyers say that the national security have disregarded the detainees’ rights guaranteed under the Constitution and they have handled the cases outside the scope of justice. They also said that the detainees have been libeled in the media and deprived of rights to freedom, equality and justice. The lawyers called the arrests “unjustified actions” of the government and its security forces that will drag the people of Darfur and the country toward ethnic and religious strife, which may lead to weakening and destabilization in the remainder of the country.