Press Release

Government Must Release Dr. Mudawi and All Prisoners of Conscience

The Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo Office is gravely concerned for the arbitrary arrest of both Dr. Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, President of the Sudanese Organization for Social Development, and a staff member of that organization,

Mudawi Adam, Yasir Saleem, and ‘Abd-Allah Taha had been arbitrarily arrested in Khartoum since May the 9th. Mr. Taha was released after 3 days of unlawful detention. The security authorities confiscated a computer set and other important documents from Mr. Mudawi’s office.

The Organization is deeply concerned that Mudawi and Yasir have been accused under section 53 of the Criminal Law 1991 of conspiracy against the state. Although the accusation is baseless, it is punishable with death on conviction by a court order.

Dr. Mudawi Adam was unlawfully arrested for peaceful human rights’ activities, repeatedly. Since January the 24th, he had been detained for almost 2 months before he was recently released as a result of a strong national and international campaign that saved his life from unlawful detention for renewable periods in poor prison conditions.

SHRO-Cairo asks the authorities to release Dr. Mudawi and Mr. Yasir immediately from jail.

The Organization calls on all human rights and democracy groups to exert the strongest pressure possible on the government to stop harassing these activists.

SHRO-Cairo asks the government to release all prisoners of conscience, including the Chairperson of the People’s Popular Congress, Dr. Hassan al-Turabi, and all his colleagues, in addition to 72 citizens detained since October 2004 who have been lately referred to a special court in Khartoum to be tried for a coup attempt.

SHRO-Cairo believes that the unabated arrest or detention of these human rights and/or opposition activists constitutes a grave violation of the comprehensive settlement for the Sudan’s Crisis, which further threatens to fail the ongoing peace deal.