July 15, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese authorities on Tuesday arrested the leader of a radical group two days before protests organized by several Islamist organisations to express their rejection of the government’s amendments to the Criminal Code and other laws.

’The State of Law and Development in Sudan’ said in a statement received by "Sudan Tribune", on Wednesday that " the Military Intelligence Service has arrested the party’s leader, Mohamed Ali Aljezouli." on Tuesday night.

Aljazouli is widely seen as a hard-line preacher used to spread extremist views in his Friday sermon. Also, he publicly supported the Islamic State (ISIS) during its early days, and had established an organization called "One Nation Group".

The radical group said that the arrest of its leader came as part of a campaign to "silence mouths and block the other opinion". Further, it accused the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) of censoring the critical voices of the opposition.

The group further renewed its rejection of the amendments recently made by the transitional government in a number of laws, including the criminal law, saying it "detracts from Islamic legislation".

The statement said they plan to hold demonstrations against the amendments after Friday prayers to transform it to the "Friday of mosques’ anger."

The National Congress Party of the ousted President Omer al-Bashir announced the organisation of a protest on Thursday to express their rejection of the amendments.

The National Security Council, on Wednesday, reaffirmed the constitutional right to freedom of peaceful expression and assembly and took a number of security measures including deployment of additional troops in the capital and closure of some streets and bridges.

The recent amendments to the Criminal Code permit non-Muslims to consume alcohol, abolish apostasy and punished the takfir or declaring a fellow Muslim guilty of apostasy.

Furthermore, the amendments criminalize female genital mutilation (FGM) and give women the rights to travel with their children without the need for a permit from her husband or male members of their families.

(ST)