Amnesty International: Arrests in Darfur, 08 May 2003





Further Information on UA 110/03 (AFR 54/025/2003, 23 April 2003)
Fear of torture/ incommunicado detention/detention without charge

SUDAN

                 Abubaker Hamed Nur (m)- engineer
                Yusuf Mohammad Faleh (m) - engineer
                Mohammad Bashir Ahmed (m)- civil servant
                Bashir Bushara (m)- businessman
                Hashem al-Tayeb (m) - businessman
                Abdel Rahman Ahmad (m) - businessman
                Mohammad Hashem Abdel Rahman (m) - businessman
                Ibrahim Mohammad Hassan (m), aged 55 - photographer

        New name:       Abdel Shafi Issa Mustapha (m), aged 48 ?
                        director of the Nyala Textile Factory

Amnesty International has learned that Abdel Shafi Issa Mustapha was arrested on 25 April by security forces, reportedly in Nyala, Western Darfur. It is thought that he is being detained incommunicado at an unknown location. He may be at risk of torture or ill-treatment in detention.

Abdel Shafi Issa Mustapha had already been arrested on 10 April and released on 17 April by security forces. He is a member of the Fur ethnic group. The reason for his arrest is not known, but it is alleged that he may be accused of having links with the Sudan Liberation Army.

There is no further information on the eight others named above, who were all detained in April, possibly on suspicion of involvement with the Sudan Liberation Army.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English or Arabic or your own language:

- expressing concern over the incommunicado detention of Abdel Shafi Issa Mustapha and the eight other men named above, and urging the authorities to publicly reveal their whereabouts;

 - urging the authorities to allow the detainees immediate and unrestricted access to their relatives, legal counsel and any medical aid they may need;

- calling on the authorities to give immediate assurances that the detainees will not be tortured or ill-treated;

- calling on the authorities to either charge the detainees with a recognizably criminal offence and bring them to justice according to international standards of fairness or release them immediately.

APPEALS TO (Time difference = GMT + 2 hrs / BST + 1 hrs):

Mr Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin
Minister of Justice and Attorney General
Ministry of Justice
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams:      Justice Minister, Khartoum, Sudan
Fax:            00 249 11 799031
[Salutation:    Dear Minister]

Major General Abdul-Rahim Muhammed Hussein
Minister of Internal Affairs
Ministry of Interior
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegram:       Minister of Internal Affairs, Khartoum, Sudan
Fax:    00 249 11 774339 / 776554/ 773046 / 770186 / 777900 /
773046
[Salutation:    Dear Minister]

Dr Nafie Ali Nafie
Minister of Federal Government
Office of the Presidents People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams:      Federal Government Minister, Khartoum, Sudan
Fax :           00 249 11 771651/783223
[Salutation:    Dear Minister]

Mr Mustafa Osman Ismail
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 873
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams:      Foreign Minister, Khartoum, Sudan
Fax :           00 249 11 779383
[Salutation:    Dear Minister]

PLEASE SEND COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO: His Excellency Dr Hasan
Abdin Mohammad Osman, Embassy of Sudan, 3 Cleveland Row, St
James's, London SW1A 1DD. Fax: 020 7839 7560

AND, IF POSSIBLE, TO THE FOLLOWING:

Dr Yasir Sid Ahmed
Advisory Council for Human Rights
PO Box 302
Khartoum, Sudan
Fax:            00 249 11 779173 / 770883

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Please do not send appeals after 19 June 2003.

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