Sudanese civil society organisations down tools

On Tuesday more than 30 independent civil society organisations belonging to the Sudanese Confederation of Civil Society Organisations announced suspension of their activities for Wednesday in protest against violations against civil society leaders.

The Confederation Secretariat issued a statement that the protest will be held within the headquarters of the organisations for one day.

The statement said that the aim of the protest is “to express disapproval and condemnation of the closure of a number of civil society organisations, confiscation of property, suspension and stop of activities of other organisations without clear justification.” The also express their “rejection of the continued detention of the Chairman of the Confederation Dr Amin Mekki Madani and a number of political prisoners for more than 70 days, without regard for justice and in flagrant violation of the Constitution and international humanitarian law.”

The statement stressed that “the protest will be followed by other forms of resistance to all forms of the injustice and humiliation exercised in systematically harmful manner”.

Special Court

In a separate report, Sudan’s state security prosecution has referred the case of the chairman of the National Consensus Forces, Faroug Abu Eisa and the chairman of the Confederation of Civil Society organisations Amin Mekki Madani to the special Criminal Court of Terrorism of Khartoum North. It was decided that the Appeal Court Judge Mutasim Tajelsir will adjudicate the case file which is expected to begin its first procedural session next week.

El Muiz Hadra, the spokesman for the Defence, said that the State Security Prosecution transferred the case file to the Chief Justice to identify a special court as the case includes charges under the Terrorism Act which require the formation of a special court by the Chief Justice.

Hadra announced that the Chief Justice agreed with the head of the defence team for the accused, Omar Abdelaati, that the trial sessions will be every Monday and Thursday of the week and that the first session should begin on the 23rd of the current month.

Lawyer Hadra said that the special court of terrorism crimes summoned the prosecution and the detective officer to testify in the hearing. He pointed out that the trial of Abu Eisa and Madani will be held in the Grand Hall of the Court.