Seven Darfur students still held without charge in Khartoum

Seven Darfuri students are still being held by the security services after one month without charge and or being brought to trial. The detained students were arrested during mass speeches delivered by the United Popular Front at Bahri market on September 13 in protest against the continued detentions of UPF members two days before.

Lawyer Abdel Basit Mohammed told Radio Dabanga that He explained that the detained students are still held without being brought to trial or allowing their families’ visit which made them worried about their unknown fate.

He described the arrest of students as illegal and contrary to the law, the constitution, the international covenants on human rights and the Bill of Rights stipulated in the constitution.

 He called to release them immediately or bring them to trial.

He said the arrested students were: Bashir Yagoub Mohammed, Adam Zakariya Adam, Yasser Abdallah Mohammed, Salim Mohammed Salim, El Hadi Abdel Mumen, Zakariya Musa Abakar and Abdel Malik Musa Ibrahim who was arrested from Bahri police department during his release procedures several weeks ago.

Security services

The Court of Public Order in Bahri, headed by Judge Hani Mahjoub, held pending the complaint filed against seven Darfuri students on charges of harassment and disturbance of public safety until student, Abdel Malik Musa Ibrahim who was arrested by the security services and accused in the same complaint shows up.

The court's decision came after the security apparatus has failed for the second time to bring the detained student to trial sessions despite a court order to the security apparatus to do so.

Yesterday Abdel Basit Mohammed, the lawyer for the accused students' defence, told Radio Dabanga from Khartoum that as a result of the failure to bring the accused student detained without providing any objective reasons, the defence submitted a request to the court to separate the trial of the six present students by taking into consideration the circumstances of the students and their academic circumstances, but the court ordered keeping the file pending until the last suspect will be brought by security services.

He explained that keeping of the file means that it may be moved at any moment by the security services, which violates the principle of justice that requires conducting trials when all the initial proceeding are completed without delay so as not to disrupt justice.