Sudanese security arrests communist official, as doctors resume strike

November 2, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) has arrested the Sudanese Communist Party’s (SCP) Politburo member, Masoud Mohamed al-Hassan, said SCP.

In a press release extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, SCP said that al-Hassan, who is also the SCP political secretary in the capital, Khartoum, was arrested and faces various methods of torture including lack of access to food, water and toilet.

The SCP denounced the NISS move, saying it signals that the government is no longer committed to the already small margin of freedoms.

It added that these detentions reflect the true face of the regime and lack of seriousness to engage in a genuine dialogue, demanding immediate release of al-Hassan and all political detainees.

It is noteworthy that al-Hassan is a member of the subsidiary body of the Khartoum Teaching Hospital’s (KTH) trade union which opposes government’s health policies.

He had been also arrested in October 2014 during a protest against the government decision to dismantle the KTH.

On 6 October, Sudanese doctors staged a strike and refused non-emergency treatments to patients to protest the poor working conditions, lack of medicines and protection of doctors after increasing attacks on medical staff by frustrated patients and their families.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD), an independent doctors union, on 13 October called off the strike following government pledges to introduce a bill to protect doctors to the parliament, improve training conditions for registrars and improve work environment in hospitals.

However, the CCSD on Tuesday announced the resumption of the strike saying the government didn’t honour its commitments.

(ST)