US urges Sudan to stop harassment

WASHINGTON, Mar 02, 2005 (UPI) — The United States urged Sudan Wednesday to stop harassing two Sudanese citizens arrested for highlighting violence in the Darfur region.

An African Union (AU) peace keeper shows injuries on a former detainee, allegedly inflicted by Sudanese forces, after a prisoners release at a AU compound in el-Fasher in the Darfur region.(AFP)..

Sudanese security services arrested Dr. Mudawi Ibrahim Adam and Salah Mohamed Abdelrahman on Jan. 24 and charged Mudawi with crimes against the state.

There has been no news on the whereabouts of Abdelrahman since his arrest. Both have been active in highlighting government-led violence in Darfur.

Mudawi has been on a hunger strike since Feb. 19. He is

now in the hospital, though still under arrest, receiving treatment for medical complications related to his hunger strike.

“We call upon the government of Sudan to release Dr. Mudawi immediately and to provide him with due process of law, including his right to legal representation,” said a statement from the U.S. State Department. “We hold the government of Sudan responsible for his well-being while in custody.”

“We (also) call on the government of Sudan to verify Abdelrahman’s status immediately and to release him immediately if he is still in custody.”

The Darfur war has killed at least 70,000 people since last March. Darfur rebels took up arms in February 2003, accusing Khartoum of preferential treatment to Arab tribes.