UK-based Sudanese Congress Party leader released from Khartoum detention

The Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) has released a UK-based leader of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) who has been detained without trial for almost two months.

SCP deputy president Khalid Omar told Radio Dabanga that “the security services released Nabil El Nuweiri of the SCP leadership on Thursday night, without giving any reasons, after holding him for 53 days”. Omar said the party considered the arrest “an abuse of freedom and constitutional integrity”.

He said that the detention of El Nuweiri without a court order is an outright abuse of his constitutional right to freedom and safety.

El Nuweiri is a member of the SCP who is based in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and is visiting Sudan on short leave. As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, on August 29, El Nuweiri was arrested at Khartoum North Criminal Court while attending the ruling session in the controversial case of the University of Khartoum student Asim Omar, who was found guilty of the murder of a policeman during student protests in May 2017. On that occasion, El Nuweiri was released after several hours of detention.

He was then once again summoned by the NISS on September 5, and was detained until his release on Thursday.