SUDANESE ACTIVIST RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGE
Amnesty International
SUDANESE ACTIVIST RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGE
July 17, 2012
Political activist Mohamed Hassan Alim was released without charge on 16 January 2012 after being held incommunicado for 22 days. He was not told why he had been arrested, but believes it was for publicly criticizing a prominent government official.
Mohamed Hassan Alim was arrested on 26 December 2011, at his house in Khartoum by seven men in plain clothes, believed to be NISS agents. He was beaten by the men in front of his mother and taken away in a car. He was detained for 22 days, during which he had no access to a lawyer or contact with his family. He was released without charge on 16 January 2012.
Mohamed Hassan Alim, 29, is an engineer who recently graduated from the University of Alnelain in Sudan. In early December 2011 he took part in a public event organized by a student group at the University of Khartoum during which he publicly criticized Nafi Ali Nafi, Vice President of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and advisor to President Omar al-Bashir. Mohamed Hassan Alim accused Nafi Ali Nafi, a speaker at the event, of corruption, nepotism and human rights violations. His criticism was videotaped and posted on YouTube and the footage was widely disseminated on online forums and media outlets.
Mohamed Hassan Alim is well known to the Sudanese authorities for his political activities as a member of the opposition Ba’ath party in Sudan, and for his participation in anti-government demonstrations. This had already resulted in his arrest and detention by the NISS in January 2011. He was released without charge on 13 March 2011, but before this he was allegedly tortured and otherwise ill-treated.
Mohamed Hassam Alim expressed his gratitude to Amnesty International and those who took action for him. No further action is requested from the UA network.
This is the first update of UA 1/12. Further information: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AFR54/001/2012/en
Name: Mohamed Hassan Alim
Gender m/f: Male
Further information on UA: 1/12 Index: AFR 54/002/2012 Issue Date: 17 January 2012