Sudanese security releases four opposition figures

January 11, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Wednesday has released four leaders from the opposition umbrella National Consensus Forces (NCF).

Following calls by activists for a general strike to protest the austerity measures last November, the NISS arrested four NCF leading figures Siddig Youssef, Tarig Abdel-Mageed, Munzir Abu al-Ma’ali and Mohamed Diaa al-Din.

In its weekly bulletin on Wednesday, the opposition Arab Ba’ath Party (ABP) said the NISS released the four leaders, pointing they spent about two months in detention and were prevented from family visits.

It added that the NISS continues to detain a number of opposition figures including ABP member Abdel-Rahim Fath al-Rahman al-Sanjak who was arrested on December 20th.

On Tuesday, opposition activists published a list including 34 political detainees and their arrest dates, saying there are others who they were unable to confirm their detention dates.

Meanwhile, social media activists have celebrated the release of the sports journalist Ahmed al-Dai Bishara and posted photos of him after he was released.

It is noteworthy that Bishara was arrested on November 26 after he appeared in a video tape urging the Sudanese to engage in the civil disobedience.

On December 19, activists urged Sudanese to stay at home as part of a civil disobedience action, the second such initiative after a similar strike from 27 to 29 November which had a larger response.

Following the government decision to raise fuel and electricity price on November 3rd, the NISS launched a large arrest campaign and detained more than 40 opposition figures.

(ST)