Call to release political detainees in Sudan

Dozens of youth cadres of the National Consensus Forces (NCF, a coalition of opposition parties) staged a protest in Omdurman on Tuesday, demanding the release of political detainees. The protesters gathered in front of the house of the first president (1964-1969) of Sudan, Ismail El Azhari, in Omdurman on Tuesday morning, calling for the release of the leader of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP), Ibrahim El Sheikh, as well as all detained political activists, students, and journalists.  They announced that they embarked on a hunger strike at 9am, to be continued until 10pm today, in solidarity with the detainees. One of the NCF protesters, Hala El Sir, told Radio Dabanga that the political detainees are held in “desperate conditions, in detention camps”. “They are prone to diseases, and are not allowed to obtain medicines, or receive medical care.” The National Intelligence and security Service (NISS) detained Mohamed Salah Mohamed Abdel Rahman, Tajelsir Jaafar Tajelsir, and Muamar Mousa on 12 May, against the backdrop of student demonstrations at the University of Khartoum. “Their relatives were allowed to visit them for the first time after 32 days in detention”, El Sir explained. “Student activist Marwan Arja, detained in En Nahud in West Kordofan, was suffering from low blood pressure, to the extent that he had to be transferred, in shackles, to a hospital.” Hunger strikeThe five students, and journalist Hassan Ishag, are continuing their hunger strike in En Nahud prison, they started on Thursday in protest against their detention without charges. They were taken into custody by security forces on 10 June, “precautionary, under the emergency law”, they were told. The students are all SCP members, as well as members of the Independent Students’ Conference: Marwan Ishag Arja and Fathi Mohamed, studying at the University of Khartoum, Mohamed Abdin and Nasreldin Mohamed Hussein, students of the University of Sudan, and Abdel Rahim Osman, student at the University of West Kordofan. Hassan Ishag is correspondent of the Khartoum-based El Jareeda newspaper. Four other SCP members are held by security in En Nahud. Other SCP cadres are detained in prisons in El Obeid, Bara, Soudri, and in Khartoum. On 8 June, SCP leader Ibrahim El Sheikh was taken by security forces from his home in En Nahud. He was charged with undermining the Constitution, after he had publicly denounced the widespread attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on civilians in Darfur and Kordofan.National Umma Party leader and former Prime Minister El Sadig El Mahdi was detained on 17 May for the same reason. He was released on 15 June, “within the legal framework”, State Minister of Information Yasir Yousef said. News photos above and below: Protesters raise banners in front of the house of Ismail El Azhari (Radio Dabanga correspondent) Related: En Nahud detainees in Sudan’s West Kordofan on hunger strike (19 June 2014) Security raids Sudanese Congress Party HQ in West Kordofan (18 June 2014) Police torture detained journalist in Sudan’s West Kordofan (13 June 2014) Protests against Sudanese Congress Party head’s detention (12 June 2014) Student members Sudanese Congress Party detained in West Kordofan (12 June 2014)  Sudanese Congress Party members and journalist detained (11 June 2014)