Sudanese court releases political detainees
April 27, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese authorities finally released 11 leading members of the suspended Empowerment Removal Committee (ERC) on Wednesday, including its alternate chairman, Mohamed al-Faki Suleiman, after a two-month arrest.
Their release comes one day after the release of Khalid Omar Youssif, former Minister of the Cabinet Affairs in the civilian government, which the military dissolved on October 25, 2021.
Last Monday, the judge of the General Court of Northern Khartoum, refused to renew the detention of ERC members due to the lack of evidence.
However, the prosecution refused to release them, saying that there was a new lawsuit against some of them and demanded the payment of 50 million Sudanese pounds for the others.
In a statement extended to the Sudan Tribune, the defence team of the detainees said they had submitted an appeal demanding the release of the detainees on regular bail.
The appeal judge accepted the request and decided to release the detainees on regular bail.
Tariq Kandyk a member of the Defence team confirmed to the Sudan Tribune the release of 11 members of the Empowerment Removal Committee.
He added that three others remain in jail, including al-Tayeb Osman, and Abdallah Suleiman, because their case was linked to another wanted person the police failed to arrest until now.
The freed leaders, among others, are alternate chairman of the committee and former members of the Sovereign Council, Mohamed al-Faki Suleiman, lawyer Wagdi Salih and Taha Osman, as well as Awad Karendis, Head of the Executive Office of the Unionist Alliance, Babiker Faisal.
UNITAMS Head Volker Perthes welcomed the release of the ERC figures.
“Their release eventually follows the decision by the responsible judge that there are no grounds for their detention,” he added in a tweet posted on Wednesday.
For his part, Wagdi Salih vowed to take to the streets again after 76 days of detention.
“We renew our oath that we will remain the servants of our people, and do not forget that these streets are the ones that brought us to positions of responsibility,” Salih tweeted after his release.
Immediately after the coup of October 2022, General Abdel Fattah al Burhan suspended the committee tasked with the dismantlement of the former regime.
After that, the Supreme Court cancelled dozens of decisions taken by the committee to dismantle the National Congress Party organizations and companies. Also, the court reinstated the sacked Islamists to the civil service and decided to activate their frozen bank accounts.
(ST)