Sudanese justice minister drops charges against Egyptian fishermen

October 10, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Justice Minister Awad al-Hassan al-Nur decided on Saturday to drop criminal charges against ten Egyptian fishermen accused of spying, trespassing and photographing prohibited areas and were being held since August 4th.

The fishermen were taken into custody less than two weeks after Khartoum and Cairo resolved a previous case involving 101 Egyptian fishermen who were held by Sudanese authorities for four months.

Last August, Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir issued a pardon for the 101 Egyptian fishermen and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reciprocated for 44 Sudanese detainees held by Cairo over border infiltration charges during gold expedition venture.

Khartoum never officially commented on the most recent case till today even though Egyptian media reported it when it occurred.

The Sudanese Minister of Justice said he used his powers set forth in Article 58 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedures of 1991 in addition to overriding national interests considerations involving bilateral relations between the two countries.

He also ordered the return of confiscated articles to the fishermen.

Khartoum found the fishermen to be in possession of GPS devices and records of Sudanese military zones prompting espionage charges.

(ST)