Torture of rebels in Khartoum prison reached climax
By Mahmoud A. Suleiman
August 5, 2013 – This article comes on the backdrop of the statement issued by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on the torture suffered by the Prisoners Of War (POWs) affiliated to the movement in the prisons of the National Congress Party (NCP) regime.
The Movement’s Media Secretary and Spokesman confirmed that their credible sources reported the extent of cruelty inflicted on the Prisoners of War (POWs) by the crew of the notorious Kober Prison in Khartoum. The management crew of Kober Prison includes General Omar Abdelmagid, Brigadier Saeed Dahiya Bakhit, and Colonel Abdul Nabi Hassan and Major Hassan al-Sammani. They continue subjecting Dr. Abdul-Aziz Noor Usher to harshest forms of psychological and physical torture especially when news report of victories of the (JEM) forces in its battles against the regime’s military and allied militias.
The examples of ill-treatment and torture suffered by Dr. Abdul-Aziz are beyond perception. The conduct and the behavior of those torturers are far from the Sudanese morality and humanitarian ethics. Furthermore, it negates chivalry and gallantry, the values, cherished by nations worldwide. Bearing in mind, this happens under the auspices of regime claims day and night that they are the protectors of Islam in Sudan and the guardians of the Sharia Law. All Divine laws and international treaties prohibit and criminalise insulting or torturing captives. Dr. Abdul-Aziz Noor Usher has been put in a solitary confinement in a prison cell adjacent to the ‘Death Row cells”, for those waiting their turn to the guillotine for more than a month. Moreover, he has to stay sleepless day/night on the floor without a mattress for him. This is in spite of the knowledge of the prison administration that the cell has overflown by sewage water for more than a week.
The foregoing conditions made Dr. Abdul-Aziz as if living in agony, deprived of sleep, food and unable to do his prayers as expected during the month of the Holy Ramadan. To escalate their torture on Dr. Abdel-Aziz, the Kober Prison warders prevented him from getting any tool/device to prevent mosquitos and other harmful insects’ stings during this autumn rainy season.
The conditions described above also apply to the situation of the POW, Ustaz Bahraddin Bashir Idris; ho has been in a solitary confinement in a prison cell few days ago under conditions similar to those of Dr. Abdel-Aziz.
The inhumane treatment and torture suffer by the POWs affiliated to JEM amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Accordingly, General Omar Abdelmagid, Brigadier Saeed Dahiya Bakhit, and Colonel Abdul Nabi Hassan and Major Hassan al-Sammani are to be held accountable, and bear direct personal responsibility for the life of Dr. Abdul-Aziz Noor Usher and his colleague Ustaz Bahraddin Bashir Idris and for any physical and/or psychological harm afflicting them.
The (NCP) regime remains accountable for the safety and lives of the rests of the POWs belong to the (JEM) and the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) languishing in the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) dungeons that are scattered at unknown locations throughout the regions of Sudan. Moreover, the (NCP) entity, at its highest ranks, is responsible for the inhumane treatment of POWs, prisoners of conscience and detainees, men and women. Local, regional and international laws would judge those who continue committing such crimes against POWs and detainees. Crimes of human rights violations are not time-limited and nor the heinous crimes eliminated by length of time passed.
It is a critical time of death or life and suffering for the POWs in the dungeons of the NCP regime, local, regional and international Humanitarian organisations need to stand steadfast with the rights guaranteed by the global human rights laws. Here come the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols in order to decipher the harsh systematic torture to which Dr. Abdul-Aziz Noor Usher and his colleague Ustaz Bahraddin Bashir subjected to; at Kober Maximum Security torture Prison in Khartoum. There is No impunity for crimes against humanity.
JEM reserves the right to defend itself and individuals and groups people in its membership. There remains No excuse for the one admonished. Retribution is inevitable regardless of how long the journey would take.
We ask Allah Almighty to strengthen our resolve we Sudanese , young and old men and women to line up with this end of the Ramadan month and the coming up of the Eid al-Fitr to work together to liberate our homeland of the ruling regime, the putschist elements of so-called National Salvation Revolution. Surly, the NCP/NIF regime led by the fugitive from the international justice, the Génocidaire, Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir is falling from decay within it and outside blows and only awaits honest will of the Sudanese people to topple and throw it into the dustbin of history.
Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is the Deputy Chairman of the General Congress for Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). He can be reached at [email protected]