US slams ‘political repression’ by Sudanese authorities

June 8, 2010 (WASHINGTON) — The United States today issued a statement criticizing what it called “a pattern of increasing political repression” in the East African nation of Sudan lately despite emerging from the first multi-party elections held since 1986.

The U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Washington is concerned over “the deteriorating environment for civil and political rights in Khartoum, including the arrest of opposition leaders, journalists, and peaceful demonstrators”.

“In mid-May, Sudanese authorities arrested two prominent opposition leaders, releasing one after several hours while they continue to hold the other in detention. We are also troubled by the closure of the Rai al-Sha’ab newspaper and the arrests and alleged mistreatment of Rai al-Sha’ab staff members” Crowley said.

The Islamist opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi and four staff of his al-Rai al-Sha’ab paper, mouthpiece of Turabi’s Popular Congress Party (PCP) were taken into custody last month. Around the same time authorities detained opposition figure Farouk Abu Eissa and released him after several hours of questioning.

The lawyer for the PCP detainees Mohamed Al-Alim have told Reuters that the deputy editor in chief of the paper, Abu Zar al-Amin, had been charged with terrorism, espionage and destabilizing the constitutional system.

He also said the other three newspaper staff had not been charged so far and Turabi “has not even been questioned. The government has accused Turabi of directing rebel attacks in the strife-ridden Darfur region.

Al-Alim said al-Amin had been tortured in jail. The PCP sent Reuters a picture of al-Amin’s back, with a large bruise which his brother said was the result of security forces beating him. Al-Amin remains isolated in police custody.

A security source denied any torture had occurred. “This absolutely does not happen,” the source said.

The U.S. official also blasted barring three Sudanese activists from the country to participate in the International Criminal Court Review Conference in Kampala, Uganda. He also noted the crackdown against doctors who went on strike and staged protests demanding better pay and working conditions.

“We call on the Government of Sudan to ensure that those in custody are afforded due process and receive access to medical care. We also call for the Sudanese security agencies to cease any censorship of media. The United States is concerned by the continued harassment of journalists, human rights advocates, and nongovernmental organizations in Sudan and reminds the Government of Sudan of its international obligations to respect human rights, including freedoms of assembly and of the press” Crowley said.

Direct pre-publication censorship was reintroduced for two daily papers in Sudan last month and others also complained they were visited by Sudanese security forces who removed many pages of content.

Other papers said they were called and told not to write about specific news including the strike by doctors over pay and working conditions and the International Criminal Court, unless it was from a government source.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for President Omer Hassan al-Bashir last year for war crimes during a brutal counter-insurgency campaign in Sudan’s western Darfur region, charges he rejects.

April elections, marked by opposition boycotts and allegations of widespread fraud, returned Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to power in the north with a massive majority. Since then, it has cracked down on political and press freedoms.

Sudan’s press opened up after the 2005 north-south peace deal. But media freedom suffered as a result of rising tensions with the ICC and Darfur’s separate humanitarian crisis, triggered after 2 million fled their homes during the fighting.

(ST)