Sudan’s PCP calls on al-Bashir to release 411 political detainees
February 16, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Popular Congress Party (PCP) has called on President Omer al-Bashir to release 411 protesters who were detained during the recent demonstrations against austerity measures.
Since the release of the 2018 budget last month, peaceful protests erupted in a number of Sudanese states leading to the killing of a high school student in West Darfur State and detention of hundreds of opposition activists across the country.
In a press release seen by Sudan Tribune, PCP political secretary Al-Amin Abdel-Raziq has demanded President al-Bashir to interfere to release all political detainees.
He also appealed to the newly appointed director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Salah Abdallah (aka Gosh) to start his era by emptying the prisons of all detainees.
Abdel-Raziq on Thursday visited the member of the Central Committee of the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) Siddig Youssef who was recently released after spending three weeks in detention.
The PCP official demanded Gosh to widen the margin of freedoms and allow political parties to exercise their political, constitutional and legal rights.
He added the PCP agreed with the National Consensus Government, President al-Bashir and the Prime Minister Bakri Hassan Salih to implement the outcome of the national dialogue conference.
Abdel-Razig further said the release of detainees is a political right for them and for all Sudanese according to the constitution and outcome of the national dialogue.
“The PCP renews the call for the release of the remaining 411 detainees particularly the sick and women,” he added
The PCP, founded by the late Islamic leader Hassan al-Turabi, splinted from the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) since 1999 and joined the opposition ranks since that time but it supported the national dialogue process declared by al-Bashir in 2014 and participated in all its forums.
Following a heated internal debate over participation in the National Consensus Government which was formed in August 2017, the PCP took part in the executive and legislative branches of the post-dialogue government.
(ST)