Sudan allows detained Umma leader to meet lawyers
August 29, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese opposition politician Mubarak al-Fadil has met his lawyers for the first time since he was detained without charge more than 40 days ago, his advocate Amin Mekki said on Wednesday.
His party’s secretary-general Abdel Jalil al-Basha and Ali Mahmoud Hassanein of the opposition Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) were also detained. None of the 25 has been charged.
“We met him (Fadil). He’s in good health,” Mekki said. “He’s no longer in solitary confinement … they’re all together now.”
Fadil was granted a long-needed endoscopy on Saturday after his health deteriorated in prison. His family said then that he was very unwell.
Other lawyers also met with Hassanein.
The opposition has said it is concerned authorities are targeting opposition parties ahead of elections due by the end of 2009, and Sima Samar, the U.N. rapporteur for human rights in Sudan, this month urged the government to be more transparent.
Sudanese security officials had accused Fadil of coordinating an attempted coup plot, working alongside retired members of the army, police and security forces.
Fadil’s children have joint British-Sudanese citizenship, and Susan Kramer, who represents them in the British parliament, expressed concern at the detention of their father. She said politics should be unhindered ahead of the polls.
“This is exactly the environment (in which) you want to see political activity as free as possible, So what seems to be a crackdown is very concerning,” member of parliament Kramer said after visiting Sudan.
“I very much hope that this was a mistaken series of actions and will be undone quickly.”
(Reuters)