JEM calls for international pressure to help secure release of jailed members
August 28, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on Tuesday called on the international community and right groups to investigate alleged crimes committed against its members held in the Sudanese prisons and to secure their release.
The rebels earlier this month complained from cruel treatment of their comrades jailed in Khartoum prison, pointing out that Abdel Aziz Usher, a leading member and brother in law of the group’s leader, is particularly targeted.
The spokesperson of the rebel group Gibreel Adam Bilal said in a statement extended to the Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that JEM prisoners addressed several memorandums to the director general of the Sudan prison services to improve their situation and free them but they did not receive any reply.
He added that the prisoners decided last week to engage in an open hunger strike, and the prison administration intervened to prevent the move but it did not meet their demands.
“Therefore, they prisoners of war decided to start an open hunger strike from 26 August demanding to free them”, he said.
He called upon the international community and human rights groups to campaign for the release of JEM members detained since five years in the Sudanese prisons.
“We urge the International Criminal Court to investigate the crimes committed on a daily basis against the Sudanese prisoners belonging to the margin [areas of Sudan] as crimes against humanity”, he further said.
Sudanese courts sentenced to death over 70 rebels detained following an attack the group carried out on the capital Khartoum on 10 May 2008.
Following the signing of a good will agreement in February 2010 between the two parties during the peace talks held in Doha, Sudanese government released some of those sentenced to death and other JEM jailed members but pledged to free the others after the signing of a peace agreement.
The joint peace mediator Mohamed Ibn Chambas met in Arusha, Tanzania last week with two rebel groups, including JEM, to discuss ways to organise talks with Khartoum under the DDPD. The rebels however said they want a comprehensive process to discuss all the crises of the country and not only Darfur.
(ST)