Students detained in Omdurman, others released in North Darfur

Dozens of students were wounded and detained in Khartoum on Tuesday, when they staged a demonstration against the torture of a fellow student by members of the security apparatus. The 21 students detained in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, have been released.

The students of the Faculty of Education at Khartoum University protested against the molest of a student named Badreldin, who was found beaten-up in front of the entrance of the Faculty of Education in Omdurman’s Wad Nubawi district on Monday.

One of the demonstrators reported to Radio Dabanga that they were attacked by policemen, security agents, and militant student members of the ruling National Congress Party.

“They beat us with batons and hoses, and used tear gas to disperse us. Dozens of protesters were injured and detained.”

He said that they had not been able to identify the victims, because of the heavy presence of government forces, “who were still chasing the students”.

El Fasher

The prosecution office of North Darfur state dropped the main charge against the 21 students of El Fasher University who were detained during an anti-election protest last week.  

Mahjoub Abdallah, a lawyer of the nine member defence team told Radio Dabanga that the students were released after the defence had filed a petition to the prosecutor.

He said that the prosecution dropped the charge of undermining the constitutional order, an offence that carries the death penalty or life imprisonment.punishable by death, and upheld the charges of rioting, criminal damage, and the obstruction of public servants performing their duty.

“Lawyers Aziza Ahmed Fadul and Tasneem Ahmed Taha attended the release of the students from Shala Prison,” he added. “They saw that the students were called names and beaten by the security police before they were released. Fadul herself was briefly held too, and released together with the students.”