Visits to detainees denied, South Darfur journalist remains in prison

Journalist Adam Mahdi is still in detention in the prison in Nyala, despite the release of journalists who had been placed under arrest since the start of the protests in Sudan.

Numerous journalists have been detained while reporting about the events by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), in accordance with directives of President Omar Al Bashir.

Adam Mahdi was sentenced to three months in the grand prison in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, early this month, under the emergency measures that have been installed throughout Sudan in an attempt to minimise the unrest and protests against the regime of President Al Bashir.

Mahdi is also an employee of the South Darfur Ministry of Culture and Information and was detained on 27 January. His family has not been informed of the charges against him, nor has a lawyer been allowed to represent him.

Visits denied

In North Darfur, authorities have denied visits to any demonstrators who have been detained in Shala prison. The daughter of Amani Hasabu, Head of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) in North Darfur, is among them.

According to Hasabu, she received no information about the case of her daughter since 9 January. She told Radio Dabanga that no information has been shared either about Mohamed El Doma, El Rabee Ali, and Mohamed Abdelmajid.

“They refused to pledge in writing not to take part in the new demonstrations against the government,” Hasabu said.

The NISS has recorded statements from other detained demonstrators in Sudan. On January 29, Ahmed Abdalla Omer was released by the security apparatus in Omdurman after writing a pledge not to participate in any demonstrations.

This release was a result of a pledge (made on the same day) of the authorities to release all the detainees, yet, many others are still under detention and arrests are ongoing.