NISS raid law office in Sudanese capital: 12 arrested

The office of lawyer Nabil Adib in El Amarat district in Khartoum was raided by agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) on Thursday, and 12 people were arrested.

Adib told Radio Dabanga that a number of Khartoum University students who have recently been dismissed by the administration came to his office at 3pm yesterday with the purpose of raising a complaint about their grievance.

The students were dismissed following widespread student unrest, protests, an demonstrations at the Khartoum University over the past weeks.

“While they were here, a force of NISS agents raided his office, assaulted the students, beat them severely, and then arrested them, as well as two female office employees including the office secretary and a worker,” the lawyer said.

He said that the security force also removed two files from the office.

Nabil told Radio Dabanga that he has informed told the journalists’ union of what happened, and will notify the Minister of Justice and the Commission.

Statement

The families of the detained students issued a public statement following their detention, which holds the Khartoum University leadership responsible for their safety, and the NISS accountable for any harm that comes to them.

The complete statement:

5 May 2016, Khartoum

Public Statement from the families of the detained recently dismissed students from the University of Khartoum: We Bare No More!!

We, the families of the following students who got recently dismissed from University of Khartoum and detained by NISS:

1.            Badrrldin Salah, Faculty of Economics

2.            Wifag Gurashi, Faculty of Arts

3.            Hussein Yahiya Harran, Faculty of Science

4.            Mai Adel, Faculty of Engineering

5.            Mudasir Tayseer, Faculty of Science

6.            Hamid Omer Dagno, brother of Mohamed Omer Hamid, Faculty of Engineering

7.            Mohamed Mahjoub Outeiba, Faculty of Law

8.            Hassan Aldai Mohamed, Faculty of Law

9.            Ahmed Abdel Hakam, Faculty of Law

10.          Mohamed Adam Hassan Abuzarga, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Studies

We declare that we would not keep silent and let our sons and daughters standalone confronting the university administration and the regime security services.

We bear the lives of our sons and daughters on the highest officials in the state. We also hold Ahmed Mohamed Sulieman, the head of the university and Alrasheed Hassan Sayed the dean of students' affairs responsible for their safety and academic development. It is our personal cause and we would hold NISS accountable for any harm caused to our sons and daughters.

On 3 May 2016, the University of Khartoum administration has indefinitely suspended the study in colleges of University of Khartoum main campus. Shortly after the suspension decree was announced, the university administration issued another decrees of dismissal for 17 students in which six were definitely terminated from studying while 11 were dismissed for two years. The university administration, which accused them of attacking a professor, destroying public property and inciting violence, has issued the decree without forming investigation committees and thus denied them the right to defend themselves. This dismissal decrees are clear violation of the university constitution, laws and regulations. They indicate the bias and partiality of the university administration. The dismissed students have delegated Mr. Nabeel Adeeb to file administrative suit against the university administration on the ground of their unfair dismissal.

Today 5 May 2016, in a seriously disturbing incident, an armed militia identified itself as NISS attacked the dismissed students inside the office of their lawyer, Mr. Nabeel Adeeb. They were brutally beaten before being taken to unknown place. The brutality of the arrest exposes the bad intentions that NISS is holding for our sons and daughters. We are highly concerned over their safety and wellbeing; especially their whereabouts remain unknown to us.

We are urging the university lecturers, students, civil society, political parties and the Sudanese public to stand by our side and support our just demands.