Rights groups concerned over detention of activist, northern Sudan

December 26, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Group for the Defence of Rights and Freedoms and the Darfur Bar Association expressed concern on Friday regarding the detention of activist Muneib Abdel Aziz in the northern city of Dongola for commemorating the December revolution.

In a joint statement, the rights groups said they were seeking to determine the fate of Abdel Aziz, who was arrested while chanting the revolution’s slogans of “freedom, peace, and justice.”

Reports indicate that authorities have opened a case against him under the 1991 Criminal Act, including charges related to undermining the constitutional order.

The organizations said information regarding his status remains conflicting, with some reports suggesting he had been released while others claimed he remains in custody. The groups expressed fears for his life following allegations that he has been subjected to torture and severe beatings.

“The organizations contacted human rights defenders in Dongola to clarify the situation, but the facts have not yet become clear,” the statement said.

The groups argued that Abdel Aziz was engaged in peaceful expression in memory of the 2018 uprising, an event that military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has claimed to respect. They emphasized that such expression does not constitute a crime.

The statement demanded his immediate release and held the security forces responsible for any violations against him.

Security forces in Northern State reportedly arrested Abdel Aziz last Friday at his home in the town of Magaser, near Dongola, after he gave a speech to mark the anniversary of the revolution.

The crackdown on activists has widened in recent days. Security forces arrested several activists in the eastern city of Gedaref on Thursday night, as well as activist Moamen Wad Zainab in Omdurman.