Sudan authorities release 17 political detainees, 70 still held

The authorities in Khartoum released 17 political detainees yesterday, mainly from Soba prison, while more than 70 detainees are still being held. The two teenagers detained on charges of killing a police officer are still subjected to psychological and physical torture.

Lawyer Rehab Mubarak told Radio Dabanga that the authorities released 16 members of the Resistance Committees from Soba prison, leaving 11 other members in prison.

She also reported the release of one detainee from Port Sudan prison, while 28 others remained in detention. In total, more than 70 political detainees are held in Soba prison and in the prisons of Port Sudan and Rabak.

Torture

The authorities continue the psychological and physical torture of those detained on charges of killing police Brigadier Ali Bereima, Mohamed Adam ‘Tubak’ (17) and Mohamed El Fateh ‘El Nana’ (18), and others.

Lawyer Eman Hasan, a member of the defence committee, told Radio Dabanga that the human rights violations “are taking place under the watchful eye of the prosecution”. She said that the cells are full of scorpions and mosquitoes, and noted the lack of adequate water and food, especially during Ramadan.

The detainees were kept in chains and were not allowed to be checked by a doctor. Abuse of the detainees has been reported several times before. The validity of the arrest and the charges has also been questioned by a wide variety of lawyers and human rights organisations.

In January, lawyer Iman Hasan told Radio Dabanga that the two detainees were questioned about the sources of funding behind the protests and about members of resistance committees, but not about the police brigadier they were accused of stabbing.

The authorities hold them responsible for the killing of Brig Bereima during the protests. Various Sudanese, however, reported on social media that Brig Ali Bereima was killed a week before. Others tweeted that the police officer was killed in the early morning of January 13, while the demonstrations started much later that day.