Sudan lawyers: ‘Security forces terrorise and spread fear’

Sudan’s Emergency Lawyers condemned the security force’s recent violent campaign against activists in Khartoum. The lawyers stated, groups of “heavily armed forces stormed a number of houses belonging to activists, firing bullets and tear gas cannisters into their homes”, on Monday.

Emergency lawyer, Samir Sheikh Idris, told Radio Dabanga, “El Deyoum El Shargiya in Khartoum, witnessed frequent attacks and a campaign of detentions that has now resulted in 10 activists imprisoned”. Idris strongly denounced the violent and heavy-handed tactics used by the security forces, which he considered “an attempt to terrorise people and spread fear” to stop activists from mobilising.

According to the lawyers, authorities transported the detainees to an unknown destination and were denied all visitation rights. Idris highlighted the similarity of the tactics used recently with the transfer of detainees from Soba Prison.

The Ed Damer Resistance Committee in northern Sudan told Radio Dabanga’s Voice of the States programme, “security forces had launched a campaign of arrests and slander” against the members of the committee since 24 March.

The committee went on to add, the security forces detained two members during the 11 April processions, “putting them in cell for two days, verbally abusing them, and extorting them to pay for the trumped-up charge of damaging a police car”. The committee members stated that the authorities have acted illegally and inhumanely in executing their campaign of detentions.