Sudan Emergency Lawyers: ‘14 revolutionaries released at Eid’

Sudan’s ruling junta released 14 detainees from various prisons and detention centres in Sudan on Monday, the first day of Eid El Fitr, the three-day Muslim festival that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Emergency Lawyers confirmed to Radio Dabanga that the 14 people, who were detained during anti-coup pro-democracy protests in the country, were released from various prisons on Monday.

The release follows an April 17 pledge by the President of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, to review the State of Emergency, and release political detainees ‘within days’, to prepare the atmosphere for dialogue.

Earlier on Monday, speaking on behalf of the Emergency Lawyers, Amira Mohamed told the Sudan Today programme on Radio Dabanga that three women detainees were released from Omdurman prison at dawn, after a month in detention.

Mohamed confirmed to Radio Dabanga that Fatima Fadlallah, Yasmine Bashir, who were detained during anti-coup protests in Omdurman a month ago, and Nariman Ibrahim, who was arrested on April 6 from Sixty Street, were released after the Emergency Lawyers submitted a memorandum to the Khartoum state security committee demanding the release of detainees.

Last week, authorities released Wajdi Saleh, the leader of the Empowerment Removal Committee (ERC), as well as Tayeb Othman, Babiker Faisal, Mohammed Saati, and Mohammed El Faki. The ERC leader’s bail was set at SDG 15 million. Among other ERC members, the former Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Khalid Omar Yousef, was released a day prior on similar bail conditions imposed on him by the prosecution.

On April 21, the junta released 25 leaders of the Resistance Committees who were detained during the protests against the military coup.

However on Saturday, a solidarity sit-in by relatives of detainees outside Soba Prison in Khartoum, was broken-up by government forces, Emergency Lawyers reported.

The emergency lawyers indicated that they continue their work to follow up the conditions of detainees in various prisons in Khartoum and the states and in other places of detention until the completion of their release.