Khartoum University students mobilise ahead of court sentence

July 25, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – Students at the University of Khartoum demonstrated Tuesday in solidarity with their colleague Asim Omer charged with the murder of a police officer in April 2016, as the court is scheduled to announce its verdict on Wednesday.

Omer, 21 years, is a member of the Conference of Independent Students (CIS), the student arm of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP). The police officer was hit by a Molotov cocktail, a charge that he denied.

The students took to the street from the complex of faculties in Khartoum on Tuesday, in solidarity with Omer, after a public meeting they organised inside the campus, where they reaffirmed their support to their colleague detained since May last year.

The opposition SCoP released a call for solidarity in support of Omer’s liberation. The statement which, was circulated in the social media, called on the human rights advocacy groups and activists to attend the session of Khartoum North Criminal Court on Wednesday as the judge is expected to announce the verdict.

The statement further said that Omer had been subjected to harsh and inhumane conditions of detention during three days before to charge him with the murder of the policeman, although he was not present at the alleged scene.

Omer was arrested by the security service on 2 May 2016, following a series of protests over unconfirmed reports about the sale of the university historical premises in central Khartoum.

(ST)