Detained Islamist opponents start hunger strike over illegal detention
May 20, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Six members of the Islamist opposition Popular Congress Party detained by the Sudanese authorities started a hunger strike to protest for their detention without charges.
Since ten months ago, Sudanese security service arrested six CPC members; five of them are from Darfur region without clear accusation or trial. Government officials claimed that the led by Islamist Hassan Al-Turabi working with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement to topple down the regime.
On May 12, security agents released the six before to arrest them again 10 minutes later. The national security law authorizes the detention for three months without charges.
The six “were held by intelligence services and placed in detention 10 months ago without any reason given for their arrest,” Kamal Omar, their lawyer said on Wednesday.
“They then went on hunger strike,” Omer said.
CPC leader himself was in prison from January to March after calling President Omer Al-Bashir to surrender to the International Criminal Court. Turabi had accused at different times the Sudanese president of war crimes in Darfur and challenged him to go to The Hague court.
Sudanese officials have vowed to crush any pro-ICC views in the country
His release came days after an arrest warrant issued on March 4 by the ICC judges for Bashir on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which include murder, rape and torture.
Turabi was the leader of the Sudanese Islamist movement that had organized the 1989 coup d’état which brought Bashir to power. However after difference tin 1999, Turabi established his own party and Darfur former member launched their rebel movement in 2004.
(ST)