Sudan opposition leader remains in solitary confinement
By: Wasil Ali
August 14, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese authorities have allowed the family of jailed opposition leader to visit him collectively for the first time since his arrest.
Al-Fadil told his family that he has been in solitary confinement ever since his arrest. He confirmed that he was not allowed to seek medical attention despite his health problems.
Sudanese security services arrested Al-Fadil over allegations of planning sabotage actions in the country.
The former presidential assistant was arrested along with a number of retired army generals, including retired general Mohamed Ali Hamid, who worked as deputy director of security in the late eighties, as well as former minister of tourism, Abdeljalil al-Basha,.
Sudan’s Justice Minister Mohamed Ali al-Mardi has said charges were being brought against 25 people but declined to say whether Al-Fadil was among them.
Sources speaking by phone to Sudan Tribune from Khartoum said that security services have been unable to get a confession from the alleged coup leaders including Al-Fadil.
Al-Fadil told interrogators that the last time he met General Hamid was a year ago when he sought his financial support for creating a new political party. Both Hamid and Al-Basha gave interrogators the same version of the story.
A statement issued by Al-Fadil’s office said that he has been interrogated twice by the security services but have insisted in both instances that he has no links to the alleged coup attempt.
According to the statement Al-Fadil told his family that the interrogators said they will release him “for lack of evidence against him”.
Sudan’s announcement of thwarting the coup attempt was received with skepticism due to the vague nature of the plot.
Sudanese officials have been making contradictory statements regarding on the sabotage plot.
Originally Sudanese security officials said that the sabotage plot leader Mubarak al-Fadil sought help from a neighboring Arab country and a “major world power”.
The two countries were believed to be Libya and the United States respectively.
But then Sudanese officials denied any foreign involvement and upgraded charges against Al-Fadil to a full blown coup attempt and said that political assassinations was part of the plot.
However security officials who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity said al-Fadil had sought support from Libya. The officials said Libya had turned him down and informed Sudanese authorities.
Al-Fadil was appointed as a presidential adviser for economic affairs in 2002 but was sacked after making contacts with the United States without Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir’s consent.
(ST)