Sudan: Release of Four Political Activists Arbitrarily Detained
Alkarama confirmed that the Sudanese authorities had released four political detainees, following court decisions to acquit them of all charges against them. Alkarama had submitted their cases to the United Nations human rights mechanisms.
Victims include Former Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ahmed Abdul Aziz Ghandour, Leader of the Rule of Law and Development Party, Mr Mohammed Ali Abdullah al-Jazouli, human rights activist Djuma Aris Fadlallah HAMDI, who were all three released on 7 April 2022 as well as brigadier general Gamaleldeen Al Shaheed, who was freed later on 14 April.
The families of the detainees thanked Alkarama for their solidarity and for having defended their relatives.
Gamaleldeen Al Shaheed
On 10 March 2022, Alkarama addressed the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) with the case of Brigadier General Gamaleldeen Mohammed Ahmed Hamza (Gamaleldeen Al Shaheed). He had been arbitrarily detained since he was arrested on 29 June 2020 by members of the military intelligence led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Al Shaheed was arrested from his home without having been presented with a warrant and taken to the military intelligence headquarters, before being transferred to one of their detention facilities in Khartoum. Al Shaheed was detained for five months without any knowledge of the charges against him and without trial.
He was later transferred to Al-Huda prison on the outskirts of Omdurman (Khartoum) on 18 December 2020, and then appeared for the first time before a judicial authority that informed him that he was being tried on charges of “undermining the constitutional order”.
Ibrahim Ghandour and Mohammed Al-Jazouli
On 4 February 2022, Alkarama submitted complaints to the WGAD on behalf of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ibrahim Ahmed Abdelaziz Ghandour and the leader of the “Rule of Law and Development Party”, Mr Mohamed Ali Abdalla Al Jazouli, both arbitrarily arrested mid-2020 by security services led by army chief Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan.
Mr Ghandour was arrested on 29 June 2020, at his home by security forces affiliated with the “Council” headed by the army commander, Lieutenant General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan. After arresting him without a warrant and without notifying him of the reasons for his arrest, the security forces took him to the police headquarters in Khartoum.
After his arrest, he was detained incommunicado for several days during which he was denied the right to inform his family of his fate and whereabouts. He was also denied family visits or a lawyer until several months after his imprisonment. In October 2020, he was transferred to The Cooper Naval Prison (Khartoum), a prison known for holding prisoners of conscience and political opponents. Ghandour was then returned, on an unknown date, to the intelligence headquarters in Chandi Park (Khartoum) and charged with “undermining the constitutional order” only several weeks after his arrest.
Mr Mohamed Ali Abdalla AL JAZOULI was arrested on 14 July 2020 outside his home by heavily armed security agents in plainclothes, without a legal arrest warrant and without being even notified of the reasons for his arrest.
After a week of being held incommunicado, he was allowed to inform his relatives that he was detained without, however, being able to inform them of his whereabouts.
After two months of detention, the intelligence services proceeded on 8 December 2020, to transfer him to Al-Huda prison (Khartoum), where he was interrogated in the absence of his lawyer.
Human rights activist Djuma Aris Fadlallah HAMDI
The case of Djuma Aris Fadlallah HAMDI was submitted by Alkarama to the WGAD on 4 January 2022. The human rights activist was arrested at his workplace in Khartoum on 5 July 2020 by members of Sudanese security forces dressed in civilian clothes who did not present any arrest mandate.
Upon his arrest, the victim was severely beaten and forced into the security forces’ car before being taken to an unknown destination. Djuma Hamdi was then held incommunicado for three months during which his family were denied any form of contact with him. He was later transferred to Cooper Prison in the city of Bahri, Khartoum, known for detaining political prisoners and human rights activists.
Sudan, now under military rule, has been in a constant state of emergency since the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.