Family of ‘tortured’ Darfuri student turn to Sudan’s Human Rights Commission

Relatives and friends of Darfuri student Nasreldin Mukhtar, detained by the Sudanese security apparatus for more than four months, have submitted a memorandum to Sudan’s National Human Rights Commission demanding his immediate release or referral to a court.

The memorandum, submitted on Sunday, said that since Mukhtar’s detention in front of the gate of the University of the Holy Koran in Omdurman on August 22. The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) have allowed his relatives to visit him twice. The first time was after two months.

Mukhtar’s brother told Radio Dabanga after his visit to Mukhtar that he noticed clear marks of torture on his relative. He had lost sight in his left eye and sustained severe injuries in his legs as a result of beatings.

The reason for his detention is unknown. His family called for his immediate release or a fair trial.

They have appealed before, to international organisations including Amnesty International and civil society organisations, to intervene to save him. They have also raised memoranda to the Attorney-General, the Minister of Justice, and the NISS.

Mukhtar is the former head of the Darfur Students Association branch of the University of the Holy Koran. He was detained earlier by the NISS, in 2015, for months, and released when his health deteriorated.