Seven party members, 513 others detained in Sudan

In En Nahud, West Kordofan, seven Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) members were detained on Saturday. Activists in South Kordofan reported that at least 513 citizens of Habila locality have been detained by security forces. On Sunday, the youth department of the National Consensus Forces (NCF, a coalition of opposition parties) and relatives of political detainees were prohibited to hand a memorandum to the National Human Rights Commission in Khartoum. Seven Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) members were detained in En Nahud, West Kordofan, on Saturday, following a protest calling for the release of party leader Ibrahim El Sheikh, and other detained party cadres. Abdel Gayoum Awad, SCP Secretary-General reported to Radio Dabanga that SCP’s En Nahud branch cadres Safaa El Tijani, Selma El Nur, Mahasin Mohamed, Fatima El Khatim, Zahra El Daw, Moatasim Yahya, and El Nazir Suleiman were detained after they had protested against the prolonged detention of SCP’s party leader and other party members. 513 citizens detained In South Kordofan, the number of the citizens detained by the security services and military intelligence in Habila locality, has risen to at least 513 detainees. Activists from the locality appealed to the Sudanese government and human rights organisations to intervene for the release of the “innocent citizens”. Human Rights Commission Hala Mirghani, the head of the NCF youth department told Radio Dabanga that they, together with relatives of political detainees, organised a sit-in in protest against the widespread detentions of political activists in front of the National Human Rights Commission in Khartoum on Sunday. “A delegation of five people went into the Commission’s office to submit our memorandum. When a Commission staff member came to receive the memorandum, police officers forbid him not to receive it, though the staff member told them that the Commission has the right to do so.” “The police forces then ordered the protesters in front of the building to break up the gathering.” Mirghani stressed that the NCF would continue its campaign for the “release of the detainees, and the release of the country from the grip of the ruling National Congress Party”. File photo: Protesters calling for the release of political detainees in front of the house of the first president (1964-1969) of Sudan, Ismail El Azhari, Omdurman, 24 June 2014 (Radio Dabanga) Related:Ailing El Sheikh returned to West Kordofan (14 August 2014) Sudan activists campaign for release of political detainees (12 August 2014)Call to release political detainees in Sudan (24 June 2014)