REDRESS calls on UN High Commissioner visiting Sudan to help tortured activists

The UK-based human rights advocacy group, REDRESS organisation, called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who is currently visiting Sudan, to intervene in the case of eight Sudanese activists who were arrested in connection with the killing of a member of the Sudanese army.

REDRESS, who are working in concert with Sudan’s Missing Persons Investigative Committee and the People’s Legal Aid Centre (PLACE), released a joint memorandum appealing to Türk.

In the memorandum, they stated that the imprisoned activists were all subjected to torture and are being “tried for crimes that are punishable by death”. The organisations went on to say that the “eight activists all belong to resistance committees in the Khartoum area”.

The memo stated that the activists were arrested without a warrant by the authorities between March and August this year. They were denied legal counsel for the first three months of their incarceration, according to the advocacy group statement.

As well as calling on Türk, REDRESS called on the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Edwards, to pressure the Sudanese authorities in providing the adequate safeguards to prevent further abuse to the eight detainees.

The organisations also called on the UN to “to ensure procedures for an effective and impartial investigation into the conditions of their arrest and detention without any delay”. Adding that, any evidence obtained through torture or other ill-treatment be excluded during their proceedings, as is consistent with Sudan's obligations under international law.

UN High Commissioner Türk arrived in Sudan today for his first official visit since his appointment last month.

He is scheduled to meet Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, as well as a number of other senior ranking officials and Sudanese stakeholders.

The UN visit which ends on November 16, will also include meetings with regional government officials and civil society leaders in El Fasher in North Darfur.