Sudan’s civil disobedience participants arrested and tried

Shop owners, including pharmacists, who closed their doors on Wednesday to participate in the national civil disobedience campaign have been arrested by the security service and brought to trial.

On Wednesday, members of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) marked the closed pharmacies and shops in Khartoum. Their owners are now arrested under the pretext of participating in the civil disobedience campaign.

This was announced in a statement issued by the Central Pharmacists' Committee the next day.

Lawyers told Radio Dabanga yesterday that NISS officers arrested the owners of the closed pharmacies and transferred them to El Safiya police station, from where they would be brought to trial in the Emergency Court in Khartoum.

'86 accused owners'

In the northern section of Khartoum, the largest number of complaints were filed: 86 were accused of closing their shops or pharmacies to participate in the civil disobedience actions on Wednesday.

A number of traders have been summoned for investigation.

According to the Central Pharmacists' Committee, the purpose of this “is to abuse one of the most peaceful means of opposing corrupt regimes, namely, civil disobedience”.

Civil disobedience

Sectors of employees, workers, and residents of Khartoum responded to the call of the Sudanese Professionals Association and the signatories to the Declaration of Freedom and Change for civil disobedience on Wednesday, including companies, pharmacies, universities and shops.

Pharmacists have been among the most active sectors participating and organising the ongoing demonstrations which have erupted since mid-December last year. Pharmacies have faced a growing shortage of various types of medicines over the year, and a crisis is expected in the next weeks, according to the Central Pharmacists Committee.