Darfur Bar Ass. renews call for detainees’ release

The Darfur Bar Association has renewed its call for the release of four human rights activists who have been held incommunicado by the security authorities in Nyala since 25 May.

In a statement on Monday, the Bar Association strongly condemned the continued detention of El Hadi Abdelrahman, Azrag Mousa, Ahmed El Sadig, and Hussein Ali Ahmed, who were detained from their homes in Ed El Fursan on 25 May, a day after they led a peaceful protest in the locality against the deficit of basic services, in particular a shortage of clean drinking water and electricity.

They are currently being held in the NISS section of the Nyala Prison in South Darfur, after having been transferred from NISS custodies in Ed El Fursan on 26 May.

The Bar Association statement underlines that the detainees have not been charged, nor have they been allowed access to lawyers or their families.

In its statement, the Darfur Bar Association referred to the international and regional conventions binding Sudan and the Bill of Rights stipulated in the Sudanese Constitution which provides for ensuring freedom of assembly, opinion and expression.

ACJPS

In a report on the detainees last week, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) states: “Their arrests are solely based on their organisation and participation in peaceful demonstrations calling for the provision of services in Ed El Fursan by the local authorities. Freedom of expression, association, and assembly are all guaranteed under Sudan’s Interim National Constitution.”