Two accused students seized from Sudan court

Two Darfuri students were seized by National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) from in front of the Criminal Court of Omdurman North, where they were about to stand trial on Monday.

Hafiz Abdul Rahman and Adam Mohammed Omar are two of nine Darfuri students from the University of the Holy Koran, accused of various charges related to disturbing the public order and creating chaos.

They were arrested on October 13 after student supporters of the ruling National Congress Party, backed by security and police agents, stormed the campus and violently dissolved a sit-in. A protest speech was being held against the payment of tuition fees by Darfuri students*.

Their defence lawyer told Radio Dabanga, that all nine students were present at the premises of the Criminal Court of Omdurman North, at 10 am. Elements of the NISS seized Abdul Rahman and Omar and took them to an unknown destination.

He labelled it “a clear challenge to eliminate judicial authority and an insult to the dignity of the judiciary”. The trial has now been postponed until 8 December.

* Exemption: It was agreed in the 2011 Doha Document for Peace in Darfur that Darfuri students are exempted from tuition and exam fees. The stipulation in the Doha peace document was later enforced in an agreement between the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) and the federal Ministry of Higher Education. Nevertheless, several Sudanese universities have refused or evicted Darfuri students because they could not afford to pay the fees. They have also been increasingly subjected to discrimination, assaults, and detention since last year.