EXTERNAL AI Index: AFR 54/06/97
UA 29/97 Prisoner of Conscience / Fear of Torture 28 January 1997
SUDAN Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (f), human rights activist
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar, a prominent human rights activist arrested on 25 January 1997, is being detained without charge in Omdurman Women’s Prison, the main women’s prison in Sudan. Amnesty International believes that she is a prisoner of conscience, and fears that she may be at risk of torture and ill-treatment.
Three days prior to her arrest, members of the security service visited her house and left a message ordering her to report to them. She refused to do so. Her husband, retired Brigadier Sharif Muzamil Ali Dinar, was also arrested with Samira Hassan Ali Karrar, but was released without charge after a few hours.
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar is part of a group of relatives of 28 army officers who were summarily executed by the Sudanese authorities on 24 April 1990, the 28th day of Ramadan. Her brother, Lieutenant Colonel `Abd al-Moneim Hassan Ali Karrar was one of those executed. The relatives call themselves “families of the martyrs”. They have held frequent meetings and demonstrations to commemorate the dead men and to protest against their execution. As a result, they have been regularly harassed and frequently detained. It is thought that Samira Hassan Ali Karrar may have been detained by the Sudanese authorities as a warning to the relatives not to attempt to hold a demonstration on the seventh anniversary of the executions, which falls on the 28th day of Ramadan in 1997, 6 February.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar has been briefly detained several times in the past in connection with other activities organized by the relatives to commemorate the 28 men summarily executed. She has never been charged with a recognizably criminal offence by the Sudanese authorities.
Her arrest comes at a time when the political atmosphere in Sudan has become increasingly tense. On 12 January 1997, armed forces belonging to the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) cooperated with the primarily southern armed opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, to capture the northern Sudanese border town of Kurmuk. The Sudanese government has accused the Eritrean and Ethiopian government of supporting the rebel offensive. Both have denied that they are doing so. Fighting is reported to be continuing.
Anyone detained by the Sudanese security authorities is at risk of ill-treatment and torture, in particular during interrogation in security offices. In the past the authorities have blamed torture and ill-treatment on undisciplined security officials. Amnesty International's information, however, is that torture and ill-treatment in security force custody are systematic.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/express/airmail letters in English, Arabic or your own language: - expressing deep concern at the arrest of Samira Hassan Ali Karrar, who Amnesty International believes is a prisoner of conscience, detained on account of her peaceful human rights activities; - seeking assurances that she is not being tortured or ill-treated; - urging that she be immediately and unconditionally released.
APPEALS TO:
1) His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
President of the Republic of the Sudan
People's Palace
PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Salutation: Your Excellency
2) Mr 'Abd al-Basit Sabdarat
Minister of Justice and Attorney
General Ministry of Justice Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Minister of Justice
'Abd al-Basit Sabdarat, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: c/o 22411 KAID SD or 22604 IPOL SD
Salutation: Dear Minister
3) Mr Ali Osman Mohamed Taha
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 873
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Foreign Minister Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Khartoum, Sudan
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES TO:
1) Mr Obeid Haj Ali
Chief Justice
Supreme Court
Khartoum, Sudan
2) Mr Ahmad al-Mufti
Secretary
Advisory Council for Human Rights
PO Box 302
Khartoum, Sudan
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 20 March 1997.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/10/95
Distr: UA/SC
3 March 1995
Further information on UA 53/95 (AFR 54/09/95, 28 February 1995) - Death threats
/ Torture / Fear of Torture and new concern: Fear of "disappearance"
SUDAN Widad Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Alia Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Mahasin (family name unknown), wife of Bashir El Tayib
Souad Abdelrahim (f)
Awadis Mirgani (f)
and 22 other members of the families of 28 army officers executed on 24 April 1990 after an unfair trial
new name: Kamal Abualgasim
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Amnesty International fears that Kamal Abualgasim, arrested for taking part in the annual family commemoration of the execution of 28 army officers in 1990, faces torture in incommunicado detention and is at risk of "disappearance".
Kamal Abualgasim was present at the memorial service for the executed officers held at the home of a relative on 27 February 1995, which was disrupted by security forces and after which Samira Hassan Ali Karrar and Alia Hassan Ali Karrar were harassed by members of the security forces (see UA 53/95). On the morning of 28 February, Kamal Abualgasim visited the home of the family of Bashir Mustafa, another of the executed officers. When he left the house, witnesses reportedly saw him arrested and driven away by security force officers. Since then his family have not heard from him and there has been no information on any charges brought against him.
Amnesty International fears that Kamal Abualgasim may be detained in one of the security force's unofficial "ghost houses", notorious for torture and long-term incommunicado detention.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Kamal Abualgasim has been detained in the "ghost houses" and tortured numerous times by Sudanese security forces. He is a political activist and outspoken critic of the government, and the security forces believe he prompts the female relatives of the executed officers in their demonstrations and political activities. These relatives believe that detaining and torturing Kamal Abualgasim is a technique used by the security forces deliberately to threaten their families, as he is routinely among the first to be detained after their demonstrations or meetings, even when he has not participated himself. For instance, he has been detained and tortured every year after the women's commemorative demonstrations like the one held last weekend, after which several women were detained and tortured (see UA 53/95).
PLEASE CONTINUE ACTION AS RECOMMENDED IN ORIGINAL UA AND IN ADDITION:
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail letters: - expressing concern that Kamal Abualgasim was witnessed being taken into security force custody on 28 February 1995, and that his family have not heard from him since;
- seeking assurances that he is being treated humanely in accordance with international standards;
- calling on the Sudanese authorities to make the whereabouts of Kamal Abualgasim public and to release him immediately if he is not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence.
APPEALS TO:
His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
President of the Republic of the Sudan
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD
Salutation: Your Excellency
Dr al-Tayib Ibrahim Muhammad Kheir
Minister of the Interior
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Dr al-Tayib Ibrahim Muhammad Kheir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
- Dr A. al-Mufti, Secretary of Human Rights Commission*, Khartoum, Sudan (* The Human Rights Commission is a government-backed body, nominally independent, but apparently created to counter what the government perceives as hostile human rights propaganda.)
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 20 April 1995.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/09/95
Distr: UA/SC
UA 53/95 Death threats / Torture / Fear of torture 28 February 1995
SUDAN Widad Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Alia Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Mahasin (family name unknown), wife of Bashir El Tayid
Souad Abdelrahim (f)
Awadis Mirgani (f)
and 22 other members of the families of 28 army officers executed on 24 April 1990 after an unfair trial
There are serious fears for the safety of the relatives of 28 army officers summarily executed in April 1990. In the past few days, as in previous years, several women have been targeted for detention and torture by the security forces, and it is feared they may face further torture if they are redetained.
Amnesty International is particularly concerned for Samira Hassan Ali Karrar, whom it believes is at risk of being extrajudicially executed because she is perceived as being the leader of the group of relatives and the organizer of their demonstrations and political activities.
The annual demonstration to commemorate the anniversary of the execution of the 28 officers was held on 25 February 1995. Twenty-eight female relatives of the executed officers, dressed in white and accompanied by children, walked from the palace in Khartoum to the university, shouting the names of the executed officers and handing out leaflets with poems and the officers' photographs. Reports indicate that they were met at the university by security forces and police emergency forces who severely beat the women and children until their clothes became soaked with blood. One member of the security forces reportedly took Wadid Hassan Ali Karrar by the hair and beat her head against a wall. She is now in hospital. This group of women and their executed relatives are featured as appeal cases in the Amnesty International campaign document Cases for Appeals (AFR 54/44/94).
At the recent demonstration, the five other women named above, and possibly up to 10 more, were arrested. They were taken to security offices in Khartoum North where they were beaten before being transferred to security headquarters. There they were reportedly beaten, threatened with rape, and ordered to stand on the roof of the building all day in the heat (it is Ramadan, so they were fasting, which made this particularly exhausting). An officer reportedly told Mahasin that she should not follow the example of Samira Hassan Ali Karrar. The officer also made threats against Samira's life. The detainees were sent home under order to report back to security offices the following morning, 26 February.
The women did not report back as ordered, and two members of the security forces arrived at Samira Ali Hassan Karrar's house on the morning of 27 February. They said that they knew that a memorial gathering was planned for that evening at one of the relatives' homes, and that it should be cancelled. Samira said that the memorial would go ahead as planned.
When the group arrived at the home where the memorial was to take place, the hostess said that members of the security forces had threatened her and told her that the meeting should not take place. The group decided to abandon the meeting, but remained in the house. Two security force officers arrived and asked for Samira Hassan Ali Karrar and Alia Hassan Ali Karrar to come with them. They refused. The officers then reportedly threatened the hostess saying that she should send Samira and Alia out of the house to them or take responsibility for what would happen otherwise. Samira and Alia went out of the house, but the officers did not speak to them. The women got into Samira's car and drove away, at which point the officers reportedly drove after them in two pick-up trucks. They reportedly chased the women through Khartoum. One pick-up truck overtook the women's car, then repeatedly applied the brakes hard while the other truck sped towards the car from behind. The women evaded the trucks and went to another sister's house, where the same two pick-up trucks were waiting. Samira then took Alia to her home, and drove home alone, followed throughout the journey by the two trucks.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail letters either in Arabic, English or in your own language:
- expressing concern that Samira and Alia Hassan Ali Karrar have been subjected to torture and harassment by security force officers, who have also threatened Samira's life;
- urging the Sudan Government to publicly condemn such action and take immediate steps to protect Samira Hassan Ali Karrar and the other relatives of the executed officers;
- asking the authorities to set up an independent investigation into the torture of the women at the demonstration on 25 February 1995 and in security force detention afterwards;
- calling on the Sudan Government to put a stop to the arbitrary detention without charge and ill-treatment and torture of individuals suspected of being political opponents.
APPEALS TO:
(faxes to Sudan can be difficult to get through)
His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
President of the Republic of the Sudan
People's Palace PO Box 281 Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD Faxes: +249 11 71724
Salutation: Your Excellency
Dr al-Tayib Ibrahim Muhammad Kheir
Minister of the Interior
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Dr al-Tayib Ibrahim Muhammad Kheir,
Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
Faxes: +249 11 71724/73046/70186
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
- Dr A. al-Mufti, Secretary of Human Rights Commission*, Khartoum, Sudan
(* The Human Rights Commission is a government-backed body, nominally independent, but apparently created to counter what the government perceives as hostile human rights propaganda.)
- diplomatic representatives of Sudan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 20 April 1995.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/06/94
Distr: UA/SC
UA 100/94 Fear of Torture / Prisoners of conscience 11 March 1994
SUDAN 'Izzat Mirghani Taha
'Ala Mirghani Taha
Ali Hassan Taha
Adil Samsa'ah
Khalifa Khader Kemair
Kamal Abu al-Gassim
Kamal Osman Badai
Kamal Badai
Bashir Badai
Hamuda al-Sheikh
Khajeli Saleh Khajeli
Dr Kamal Mahmud Gadien
Baha' Abul-Qasim
Saad Karrar
Ali Jaaf'er
Al-Sadiq Abdel-Magid
Hamaza
Rabie' Ahmed al-Rayah
Abdel-Rahim Faisel
and other names not known
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Amnesty International is concerned about the reported arrest by security officials of around 30 individuals, including those named above, during the evening of 10 March 1994, the 28th day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The arrests took place at a house in Khartoum where relatives and friends were gathering to commemorate the anniversary in the Islamic calendar of the summary execution of 28 army officers on 24 April 1990.
It has been reported that some of those detained were assaulted by security officials at the time of their arrest. Their current place of detention is unknown and there are serious fears that they may be subjected to torture. Amnesty International believes that they are prisoners of conscience arrested for engaging in their internationally recognized and fundamental rights to freedom of expression and association.
Two women, Zakia and Mahassin, widows of two of the executed officers, were also arrested but have since been released.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Twenty-eight army officers were executed on 24 April 1990, the day after they were arrested. They were convicted in summary military trials of involvement in a coup attempt. Since then the anniversary of their deaths has become a rallying point for opposition to the military government.
Women and children related to the executed officers were previously arrested in April 1992 when they were held in detention without charge for a number of weeks, following a peaceful demonstration commemorating the anniversary. (see UA 107/92 (AFR 54/12/92, 1 April 1992) and follow-ups (AFR 54/13/92, 3 April; AFR 54/15/92, 6 April; AFR 54/16/92, 16 April; and AFR 54/18/92, 30 April).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/express and airmail letters either in English or Arabic, or in your own language:
- expressing concern at the arrest on 10 March 1994 of around 30 individuals (naming some) who Amnesty International believes are prisoners of conscience imprisoned solely for exercising their internationally recognised rights to freedom of expression and association.
- requesting assurances that they are not being subjected to torture or ill-treatment and urging that their whereabouts in custody be made public and that they are granted immediate and regular access to their family, legal counsel and any necessary medical attention;
- urging that they be immediately and unconditionally released.
APPEALS TO
1) His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
President of the Republic of the Sudan
People's Palace PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD
Salutation: Your Excellency
2) Brigadier-Engineer 'Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Husayn
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
People's Palace
PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Brig-Engineer 'Abd al-Rahim Muhammed Husayn, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
Salutation: Dear Deputy Prime Minister
3) Mr 'Abd al-Aziz Shiddu
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General Ministry of Justice,
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Mr 'Abd al-Aziz Shiddu, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD (via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES TO:
Mr Jalal Ali Lutfi Chief Justice Law Courts Khartoum, Sudan
Mr Hussein Suleiman Abu Salih Minister of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs PO Box 873 Khartoum, Sudan
Dr A. al-Mufti Secretary of Human Rights Commission* Khartoum, Sudan
* The Human Rights Commission is a government-backed body, nominally independent, but apparently created to counter what the government perceives as hostile human rights propaganda.
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 22 April 1994.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/18/92
Distr: UA/SC
30 April 1992
Further information on UA 107/92 (AFR 54/12/92, 1 April 1992) and follow-ups: AFR 54/13/92 of 3 April 1992, AFR 54/15/92 of 6 April 1992 and AFR 54/16/92 of 16 April 1992) - Legal and Health Concern
SUDAN:
Nadia Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Afifa Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Layla Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Haram Ahmad Ali Karrar (Female)
Hana al-Sadiq Abdullah
al-Fadl al-Mahdi (Female)
Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Manal Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Muna Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Awatif Mirghani Taha (Female)
Afaf Mirghani Taha (Female)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The women named above are reported to have been released, apparently uncharged, on 21 April 1992. They were variously arrested on 31 March and 1 April 1992 in demonstrations commemorating the execution of 28 army officers on 24 April 1990.
Please send all appeals on their behalf. Thank you to all those who sent appeals on their behalf.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/16/92
Distr: UA/SC
16 April 1992
Further information on UA 107/92 (AFR 54/12/92, 1 April 1992) and follow-ups
AFR 54/13/92 of 3 April 1992 and AFR 54/15/92 of 6 April 1992 - Legal and Health
Concern
SUDAN:
Nadia Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Afifa Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Layla Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Haram Ahmad Ali Karrar (Female)
Saria Abdelmoneim Karrar, eight-year-old child - released
Hana al-Sadiq Abdullah al-Fadl al-Mahdi (Female)
Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Manal Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Muna Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
The mother of Majda, Manal and Muna - released
Mhassin Abulgassim (Female) - released
Mona Abulgassim (Female) - released
Awadia Abulgassim (Female) - released
Awatif Mirghani Taha (Female)
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (Female) - released
Manal Mohammed Mahgoub (Female) - released
Hayat (Female) - released Fathia (Female) - released
Zakia (Female) - released Fatima (Female) - released
Assia (Female) - released
Mahassin (Female) - released
Salwa (Female) - released
Samira (Female) - released
and the mother of Lt. Col. Mohamed Abdulaziz - released
and new name:
Afaf Mirghani Taha (Female)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ten of the women named above are reported to remain in detention in Omdurman Womens' Prison following their arrests on 31 March and 1 April 1992 in demonstrations commemorating the execution of 28 army officers on 24 April 1990. It is reported by unofficial sources that the government is preparing charges against them relating to the political nature of their demonstration.
Manal Awad Khojali, who is a nursing mother, is still reportedly denied access to her baby and Majda Awad Khojali, who suffers from a heart condition, and is reported to be seriously ill has still been denied adequate medical attention.
The remaining women named above are reported to have been released.
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/express and airmail letters
- expressing concern that ten of the women named above among them Manal Awad Khojali and Nadia Hassan Ali Karrar, all of whom Amnesty International believes to be prisoners of conscience, remain in prison;
- seeking information about the reasons for their continuing detention and the nature of any criminal charges that are being prepared against them;
- expressing serious concern about reports that Majda Awad Khojali, who suffers from a heart condition, is reported to have been taken seriously ill and denied adequate medical attention and that Manal Awad Khojali, a nursing mother, has still been denied access to her baby;
- welcoming the release of the 15 other women and child arrested in April 1992.
APPEALS TO:
1) His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
Head of State and Chairman of the NSRCC Your Excellency
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, SUDAN
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD
2) General El Zubeir Mohamed Saleh
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior Dear General
and Deputy Chairman of the NSRCC
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, SUDAN
Telegrams: General El Zubeir Mohamed Saleh, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
3) The Acting Minister of Justice and Attorney-General
Ministry of Justice Dear Minister
Khartoum, SUDAN
Telexes: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD
(via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
Mr Jalal Ali Lutfi Mr Ali Sahloul
Chief Justice Law Courts Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Khartoum, Sudan Minister of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 873,
Khartoum Sudan
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan in your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 28 May 1992.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index:AFR 54/15/92
Distr: UA/SC
6 April 1992
Further information on UA 107/92 (AFR 54/12/92, 1 April 1992, and follow-up
AFR 54/13/92, 3 April 1992) - Legal and Health Concern
SUDAN: Nadia Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Afifa Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Layla Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Haram Ahmad Ali Karrar (Female)
Saria Abdelmoneim Karrar, eight-year-old child
Hana al-Sadiq Abdullah al-Fadl al-Mahdi (Female)
Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Manal Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Muna Mustafa Awad Khojali
the mother of Majda, Manal and Muna
Mhassin Abulgassim (Female)
Mona Abulgassim (Female)
Awadia Abulgassim (Female)
Awatif Mirghani Taha (Female)
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Manal Mohammed Mahgoub (Female)
Hayat (Female)
Fathia (Female)
Zakia (Female)
Fatima (Female)
Assia (Female)
Mahassin (Female)
Salwa (Female)
Samira (Female)
and the mother of Lt. Col. Mohamed Abdulaziz
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali, one of the 23 women and one child named above who were arrested while demonstrating in Khartoum on 31 March and 1 April 1992, is reported to have been taken ill while in detention.
In the follow-up to UA 107/92 (AFR 54/13/92, 3 April 1992), it was reported that she suffers from a heart condition and had been denied medical attention. It is now reported that on 1 April 1992 she was taken from Omdurman Women's Prison under the promise of being taken to receive medical attention. Instead, she was taken to the headquarters of the national Security Services where she was interrogated and beaten. A security official is reported to have then given her an injection, but the nature of this and the reasons for it are unknown. After the injection she is reported to have been taken ill and to have experienced swelling of her body. The security officials who were returning her to Omdurman Women's Prison, took her to her home so she could collect medication. However, on her return to prison, she reportedly fell into a coma.
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/express and airmail letters
- expressing serious concern about reports that Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali, who suffers from a heart complaint, is reported to have been taken seriously ill and denied adequate medical attention;
- expressing concern that she is reported to have been beaten when taken for interrogation at the headquarters of Sudan Security on 1 April 1992, and was given an injection there of an unknown substance which may have worsened her condition;
- seeking assurances that she is now receiving medical attention and has access to her family and lawyer;
- urging that Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali, regarded by Amnesty International to be a prisoner of conscience together with the 22 other women and one child arrested on 31 March and 1 April 1992, be immediately and unconditionally released.
APPEALS TO:
1. His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
Head of State and Chairman of the NSRCC
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir,
Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD OR 22411 KAID SD
[Salutation: Your Excellency]
2. Brigadier-General al-Zubeir Mohamed Saleh
Deputy Prime Minister,
Minister of the Interior and Deputy Chaiarman of the NSRCC
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Brig-Gen al-Zubeir Mohamed Saleh,
Khartoum Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
[Salutation: Dear Brigadier-General]
3. The Acting Minister of Justice and Attorney-General
Ministry of Justice
Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD
(via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
[Salutation: Dear Minister]
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
Mr Jalal Ali Lutfi
Chief Justice
Law Courts
Khartoum, Sudan
Mr Ali Sahloul
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 873,
Khartoum Sudan
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan in your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 18 May 1992.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/13/92
Distr: UA/SC
3 April 1992
Further information on UA 107/92 (AFR 54/12/92, 1 April 1992) - Legal / Health Concern
SUDAN: Nadia Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Afifa Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Layla Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Haram Ahmad Ali Karrar (Female)
Saria Abdelmoneim Karrar, eight-year-old child
Hana al-Sadiq Abdullah al-Fadl al-Mahdi (Female)
Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Manal Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
the mother of Majda and Manal
and another woman whose name is unknown
NEW NAMES: Mhassin Abulgassim (Female)
Mona Abulgassim (Female)
Awadia Abulgassim (Female)
Awatif Mirghani Taha (Female)
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Manal Mohammed Mahgoub (Female)
Hayat (Female)
Fathia (Female)
Zakia (Female)
Fatima (Female)
Assia (Female)
Mahassin (Female)
Salwa (Female)
Samira (Female)
and the mother of Lt. Col. Mohamed Abdulaziz
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The 15 women in the above list of new names, were reportedly arrested by Sudanese security officials on 1 April 1992 as they demonstrated in front of the headquarters of Sudan Security in the Hai Mattar district, Khartoum, to commemorate the execution of 28 army officers on 24 April 1990. Those arrested are relatives of the officers executed in April 1990. They include the widow of Colonel Bashir Mustafa Bashir, the sister of Colonel 'Ismat Mirghani Taha, the widow of Brigadier Osman al-Sayed Balol, the sister of Captain Mudather Mohammed Mahgoori, the mother of Captain Mudather Mohammed Mahgoub and the sister of Lieutenant Colonel Abdelmoniem Hassan Ali Karrar (see UA 161/90, AFR 54/19/90 and follow up AFR/24/90).
It has been reported that a number of the women were assaulted by security officials as they were arrested on 1 April. A 70-year-old woman is reported to have been beaten and dragged along the ground. The women are reported to be currently detained at the headquarters of the security service.
The arrests follow others which took place on 31 March 1992 at a previous demonstration in Khartoum, when other women relatives of the officers executed in April 1990 entered the grounds of the Presidential Palace. On this occasion, 9 women and an eight-year-old girl were detained. They are currently being held in Omdurman Womens' Prison where they are reported to be on hunger-strike. One of the detainees held since 31 March, Majda Awad Khojali, suffers from a heart condition and is reported to have been denied medical attention. Another of the women, Manal Awad Khojali, who is a nursing mother, has reportedly been denied access to her baby.
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/express and airmail letters:
- expressing concern at the arrest of the women named above on 1 April 1992 who Amnesty International believes are prisoners of conscience arrested for engaging in their internationally recognized fundamental right to freedom of expression and association;
- expressing concern that some of them are reported to have been assaulted while they were arrested;
- expressing concern that 9 other women and a child arrested on 31 March 1992 are reported to remain in detention at Omdurman Womens' Prison and now to be on hunger-strike;
- expressing concern that Majda Awad Khojali, who suffers from a heart complaint, is reported to have been denied medical attention and that Manal Awad Khojali, a nursing mother, has been denied access to her baby;
- seeking assurances that they are being humanely treated and that they have immmediate and regular access to their families, lawyers and medical attention;
- urging that they be immediately and unconditionally released.
APPEALS TO:
1. His Excellency Lieutenant General
Omar Hassan al-Bashir
[Salutation: Your Excellency]
Head of State and Chairman of the NSRCC
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD OR 22411 KAID SD
2. Brigadier-General al-Zubeir Mohamed Saleh
[Salutation: Dear Brigadier-General]
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior
and Deputy Chaiarman of the NSRCC
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Brig-Gen al-Zubeir Mohamed Saleh, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
3. The Acting Minister of Justice and Attorney-General
[Salutation: Dear Minister]
Ministry of Justice
Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD
(via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
Mr Jalal Ali Lutfi
Chief Justice
Law Courts
Khartoum, Sudan
Mr Ali Sahloul
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 873,
Khartoum, Sudan
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan in your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 15 May 1992.
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UA 29/97 Prisoner of Conscience / Fear of Torture 28 January 1997
SUDAN Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (f), human rights activist
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar, a prominent human rights activist arrested on 25 January 1997, is being detained without charge in Omdurman Women’s Prison, the main women’s prison in Sudan. Amnesty International believes that she is a prisoner of conscience, and fears that she may be at risk of torture and ill-treatment.
Three days prior to her arrest, members of the security service visited her house and left a message ordering her to report to them. She refused to do so. Her husband, retired Brigadier Sharif Muzamil Ali Dinar, was also arrested with Samira Hassan Ali Karrar, but was released without charge after a few hours.
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar is part of a group of relatives of 28 army officers who were summarily executed by the Sudanese authorities on 24 April 1990, the 28th day of Ramadan. Her brother, Lieutenant Colonel `Abd al-Moneim Hassan Ali Karrar was one of those executed. The relatives call themselves “families of the martyrs”. They have held frequent meetings and demonstrations to commemorate the dead men and to protest against their execution. As a result, they have been regularly harassed and frequently detained. It is thought that Samira Hassan Ali Karrar may have been detained by the Sudanese authorities as a warning to the relatives not to attempt to hold a demonstration on the seventh anniversary of the executions, which falls on the 28th day of Ramadan in 1997, 6 February.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar has been briefly detained several times in the past in connection with other activities organized by the relatives to commemorate the 28 men summarily executed. She has never been charged with a recognizably criminal offence by the Sudanese authorities.
Her arrest comes at a time when the political atmosphere in Sudan has become increasingly tense. On 12 January 1997, armed forces belonging to the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) cooperated with the primarily southern armed opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, to capture the northern Sudanese border town of Kurmuk. The Sudanese government has accused the Eritrean and Ethiopian government of supporting the rebel offensive. Both have denied that they are doing so. Fighting is reported to be continuing.
Anyone detained by the Sudanese security authorities is at risk of ill-treatment and torture, in particular during interrogation in security offices. In the past the authorities have blamed torture and ill-treatment on undisciplined security officials. Amnesty International's information, however, is that torture and ill-treatment in security force custody are systematic.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/express/airmail letters in English, Arabic or your own language: - expressing deep concern at the arrest of Samira Hassan Ali Karrar, who Amnesty International believes is a prisoner of conscience, detained on account of her peaceful human rights activities; - seeking assurances that she is not being tortured or ill-treated; - urging that she be immediately and unconditionally released.
APPEALS TO:
1) His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
President of the Republic of the Sudan
People's Palace
PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Salutation: Your Excellency
2) Mr 'Abd al-Basit Sabdarat
Minister of Justice and Attorney
General Ministry of Justice Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Minister of Justice
'Abd al-Basit Sabdarat, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: c/o 22411 KAID SD or 22604 IPOL SD
Salutation: Dear Minister
3) Mr Ali Osman Mohamed Taha
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 873
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Foreign Minister Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Khartoum, Sudan
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES TO:
1) Mr Obeid Haj Ali
Chief Justice
Supreme Court
Khartoum, Sudan
2) Mr Ahmad al-Mufti
Secretary
Advisory Council for Human Rights
PO Box 302
Khartoum, Sudan
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 20 March 1997.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/10/95
Distr: UA/SC
3 March 1995
Further information on UA 53/95 (AFR 54/09/95, 28 February 1995) - Death threats
/ Torture / Fear of Torture and new concern: Fear of "disappearance"
SUDAN Widad Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Alia Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Mahasin (family name unknown), wife of Bashir El Tayib
Souad Abdelrahim (f)
Awadis Mirgani (f)
and 22 other members of the families of 28 army officers executed on 24 April 1990 after an unfair trial
new name: Kamal Abualgasim
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Amnesty International fears that Kamal Abualgasim, arrested for taking part in the annual family commemoration of the execution of 28 army officers in 1990, faces torture in incommunicado detention and is at risk of "disappearance".
Kamal Abualgasim was present at the memorial service for the executed officers held at the home of a relative on 27 February 1995, which was disrupted by security forces and after which Samira Hassan Ali Karrar and Alia Hassan Ali Karrar were harassed by members of the security forces (see UA 53/95). On the morning of 28 February, Kamal Abualgasim visited the home of the family of Bashir Mustafa, another of the executed officers. When he left the house, witnesses reportedly saw him arrested and driven away by security force officers. Since then his family have not heard from him and there has been no information on any charges brought against him.
Amnesty International fears that Kamal Abualgasim may be detained in one of the security force's unofficial "ghost houses", notorious for torture and long-term incommunicado detention.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Kamal Abualgasim has been detained in the "ghost houses" and tortured numerous times by Sudanese security forces. He is a political activist and outspoken critic of the government, and the security forces believe he prompts the female relatives of the executed officers in their demonstrations and political activities. These relatives believe that detaining and torturing Kamal Abualgasim is a technique used by the security forces deliberately to threaten their families, as he is routinely among the first to be detained after their demonstrations or meetings, even when he has not participated himself. For instance, he has been detained and tortured every year after the women's commemorative demonstrations like the one held last weekend, after which several women were detained and tortured (see UA 53/95).
PLEASE CONTINUE ACTION AS RECOMMENDED IN ORIGINAL UA AND IN ADDITION:
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail letters: - expressing concern that Kamal Abualgasim was witnessed being taken into security force custody on 28 February 1995, and that his family have not heard from him since;
- seeking assurances that he is being treated humanely in accordance with international standards;
- calling on the Sudanese authorities to make the whereabouts of Kamal Abualgasim public and to release him immediately if he is not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence.
APPEALS TO:
His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
President of the Republic of the Sudan
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD
Salutation: Your Excellency
Dr al-Tayib Ibrahim Muhammad Kheir
Minister of the Interior
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Dr al-Tayib Ibrahim Muhammad Kheir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
- Dr A. al-Mufti, Secretary of Human Rights Commission*, Khartoum, Sudan (* The Human Rights Commission is a government-backed body, nominally independent, but apparently created to counter what the government perceives as hostile human rights propaganda.)
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 20 April 1995.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/09/95
Distr: UA/SC
UA 53/95 Death threats / Torture / Fear of torture 28 February 1995
SUDAN Widad Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Alia Hassan Ali Karrar (f)
Mahasin (family name unknown), wife of Bashir El Tayid
Souad Abdelrahim (f)
Awadis Mirgani (f)
and 22 other members of the families of 28 army officers executed on 24 April 1990 after an unfair trial
There are serious fears for the safety of the relatives of 28 army officers summarily executed in April 1990. In the past few days, as in previous years, several women have been targeted for detention and torture by the security forces, and it is feared they may face further torture if they are redetained.
Amnesty International is particularly concerned for Samira Hassan Ali Karrar, whom it believes is at risk of being extrajudicially executed because she is perceived as being the leader of the group of relatives and the organizer of their demonstrations and political activities.
The annual demonstration to commemorate the anniversary of the execution of the 28 officers was held on 25 February 1995. Twenty-eight female relatives of the executed officers, dressed in white and accompanied by children, walked from the palace in Khartoum to the university, shouting the names of the executed officers and handing out leaflets with poems and the officers' photographs. Reports indicate that they were met at the university by security forces and police emergency forces who severely beat the women and children until their clothes became soaked with blood. One member of the security forces reportedly took Wadid Hassan Ali Karrar by the hair and beat her head against a wall. She is now in hospital. This group of women and their executed relatives are featured as appeal cases in the Amnesty International campaign document Cases for Appeals (AFR 54/44/94).
At the recent demonstration, the five other women named above, and possibly up to 10 more, were arrested. They were taken to security offices in Khartoum North where they were beaten before being transferred to security headquarters. There they were reportedly beaten, threatened with rape, and ordered to stand on the roof of the building all day in the heat (it is Ramadan, so they were fasting, which made this particularly exhausting). An officer reportedly told Mahasin that she should not follow the example of Samira Hassan Ali Karrar. The officer also made threats against Samira's life. The detainees were sent home under order to report back to security offices the following morning, 26 February.
The women did not report back as ordered, and two members of the security forces arrived at Samira Ali Hassan Karrar's house on the morning of 27 February. They said that they knew that a memorial gathering was planned for that evening at one of the relatives' homes, and that it should be cancelled. Samira said that the memorial would go ahead as planned.
When the group arrived at the home where the memorial was to take place, the hostess said that members of the security forces had threatened her and told her that the meeting should not take place. The group decided to abandon the meeting, but remained in the house. Two security force officers arrived and asked for Samira Hassan Ali Karrar and Alia Hassan Ali Karrar to come with them. They refused. The officers then reportedly threatened the hostess saying that she should send Samira and Alia out of the house to them or take responsibility for what would happen otherwise. Samira and Alia went out of the house, but the officers did not speak to them. The women got into Samira's car and drove away, at which point the officers reportedly drove after them in two pick-up trucks. They reportedly chased the women through Khartoum. One pick-up truck overtook the women's car, then repeatedly applied the brakes hard while the other truck sped towards the car from behind. The women evaded the trucks and went to another sister's house, where the same two pick-up trucks were waiting. Samira then took Alia to her home, and drove home alone, followed throughout the journey by the two trucks.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail letters either in Arabic, English or in your own language:
- expressing concern that Samira and Alia Hassan Ali Karrar have been subjected to torture and harassment by security force officers, who have also threatened Samira's life;
- urging the Sudan Government to publicly condemn such action and take immediate steps to protect Samira Hassan Ali Karrar and the other relatives of the executed officers;
- asking the authorities to set up an independent investigation into the torture of the women at the demonstration on 25 February 1995 and in security force detention afterwards;
- calling on the Sudan Government to put a stop to the arbitrary detention without charge and ill-treatment and torture of individuals suspected of being political opponents.
APPEALS TO:
(faxes to Sudan can be difficult to get through)
His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
President of the Republic of the Sudan
People's Palace PO Box 281 Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD Faxes: +249 11 71724
Salutation: Your Excellency
Dr al-Tayib Ibrahim Muhammad Kheir
Minister of the Interior
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Dr al-Tayib Ibrahim Muhammad Kheir,
Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
Faxes: +249 11 71724/73046/70186
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
- Dr A. al-Mufti, Secretary of Human Rights Commission*, Khartoum, Sudan
(* The Human Rights Commission is a government-backed body, nominally independent, but apparently created to counter what the government perceives as hostile human rights propaganda.)
- diplomatic representatives of Sudan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 20 April 1995.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/06/94
Distr: UA/SC
UA 100/94 Fear of Torture / Prisoners of conscience 11 March 1994
SUDAN 'Izzat Mirghani Taha
'Ala Mirghani Taha
Ali Hassan Taha
Adil Samsa'ah
Khalifa Khader Kemair
Kamal Abu al-Gassim
Kamal Osman Badai
Kamal Badai
Bashir Badai
Hamuda al-Sheikh
Khajeli Saleh Khajeli
Dr Kamal Mahmud Gadien
Baha' Abul-Qasim
Saad Karrar
Ali Jaaf'er
Al-Sadiq Abdel-Magid
Hamaza
Rabie' Ahmed al-Rayah
Abdel-Rahim Faisel
and other names not known
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Amnesty International is concerned about the reported arrest by security officials of around 30 individuals, including those named above, during the evening of 10 March 1994, the 28th day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The arrests took place at a house in Khartoum where relatives and friends were gathering to commemorate the anniversary in the Islamic calendar of the summary execution of 28 army officers on 24 April 1990.
It has been reported that some of those detained were assaulted by security officials at the time of their arrest. Their current place of detention is unknown and there are serious fears that they may be subjected to torture. Amnesty International believes that they are prisoners of conscience arrested for engaging in their internationally recognized and fundamental rights to freedom of expression and association.
Two women, Zakia and Mahassin, widows of two of the executed officers, were also arrested but have since been released.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Twenty-eight army officers were executed on 24 April 1990, the day after they were arrested. They were convicted in summary military trials of involvement in a coup attempt. Since then the anniversary of their deaths has become a rallying point for opposition to the military government.
Women and children related to the executed officers were previously arrested in April 1992 when they were held in detention without charge for a number of weeks, following a peaceful demonstration commemorating the anniversary. (see UA 107/92 (AFR 54/12/92, 1 April 1992) and follow-ups (AFR 54/13/92, 3 April; AFR 54/15/92, 6 April; AFR 54/16/92, 16 April; and AFR 54/18/92, 30 April).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/express and airmail letters either in English or Arabic, or in your own language:
- expressing concern at the arrest on 10 March 1994 of around 30 individuals (naming some) who Amnesty International believes are prisoners of conscience imprisoned solely for exercising their internationally recognised rights to freedom of expression and association.
- requesting assurances that they are not being subjected to torture or ill-treatment and urging that their whereabouts in custody be made public and that they are granted immediate and regular access to their family, legal counsel and any necessary medical attention;
- urging that they be immediately and unconditionally released.
APPEALS TO
1) His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
President of the Republic of the Sudan
People's Palace PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD
Salutation: Your Excellency
2) Brigadier-Engineer 'Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Husayn
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
People's Palace
PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Brig-Engineer 'Abd al-Rahim Muhammed Husayn, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
Salutation: Dear Deputy Prime Minister
3) Mr 'Abd al-Aziz Shiddu
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General Ministry of Justice,
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Mr 'Abd al-Aziz Shiddu, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD (via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES TO:
Mr Jalal Ali Lutfi Chief Justice Law Courts Khartoum, Sudan
Mr Hussein Suleiman Abu Salih Minister of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs PO Box 873 Khartoum, Sudan
Dr A. al-Mufti Secretary of Human Rights Commission* Khartoum, Sudan
* The Human Rights Commission is a government-backed body, nominally independent, but apparently created to counter what the government perceives as hostile human rights propaganda.
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 22 April 1994.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/18/92
Distr: UA/SC
30 April 1992
Further information on UA 107/92 (AFR 54/12/92, 1 April 1992) and follow-ups: AFR 54/13/92 of 3 April 1992, AFR 54/15/92 of 6 April 1992 and AFR 54/16/92 of 16 April 1992) - Legal and Health Concern
SUDAN:
Nadia Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Afifa Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Layla Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Haram Ahmad Ali Karrar (Female)
Hana al-Sadiq Abdullah
al-Fadl al-Mahdi (Female)
Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Manal Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Muna Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Awatif Mirghani Taha (Female)
Afaf Mirghani Taha (Female)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The women named above are reported to have been released, apparently uncharged, on 21 April 1992. They were variously arrested on 31 March and 1 April 1992 in demonstrations commemorating the execution of 28 army officers on 24 April 1990.
Please send all appeals on their behalf. Thank you to all those who sent appeals on their behalf.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/16/92
Distr: UA/SC
16 April 1992
Further information on UA 107/92 (AFR 54/12/92, 1 April 1992) and follow-ups
AFR 54/13/92 of 3 April 1992 and AFR 54/15/92 of 6 April 1992 - Legal and Health
Concern
SUDAN:
Nadia Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Afifa Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Layla Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Haram Ahmad Ali Karrar (Female)
Saria Abdelmoneim Karrar, eight-year-old child - released
Hana al-Sadiq Abdullah al-Fadl al-Mahdi (Female)
Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Manal Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Muna Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
The mother of Majda, Manal and Muna - released
Mhassin Abulgassim (Female) - released
Mona Abulgassim (Female) - released
Awadia Abulgassim (Female) - released
Awatif Mirghani Taha (Female)
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (Female) - released
Manal Mohammed Mahgoub (Female) - released
Hayat (Female) - released Fathia (Female) - released
Zakia (Female) - released Fatima (Female) - released
Assia (Female) - released
Mahassin (Female) - released
Salwa (Female) - released
Samira (Female) - released
and the mother of Lt. Col. Mohamed Abdulaziz - released
and new name:
Afaf Mirghani Taha (Female)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ten of the women named above are reported to remain in detention in Omdurman Womens' Prison following their arrests on 31 March and 1 April 1992 in demonstrations commemorating the execution of 28 army officers on 24 April 1990. It is reported by unofficial sources that the government is preparing charges against them relating to the political nature of their demonstration.
Manal Awad Khojali, who is a nursing mother, is still reportedly denied access to her baby and Majda Awad Khojali, who suffers from a heart condition, and is reported to be seriously ill has still been denied adequate medical attention.
The remaining women named above are reported to have been released.
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/express and airmail letters
- expressing concern that ten of the women named above among them Manal Awad Khojali and Nadia Hassan Ali Karrar, all of whom Amnesty International believes to be prisoners of conscience, remain in prison;
- seeking information about the reasons for their continuing detention and the nature of any criminal charges that are being prepared against them;
- expressing serious concern about reports that Majda Awad Khojali, who suffers from a heart condition, is reported to have been taken seriously ill and denied adequate medical attention and that Manal Awad Khojali, a nursing mother, has still been denied access to her baby;
- welcoming the release of the 15 other women and child arrested in April 1992.
APPEALS TO:
1) His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
Head of State and Chairman of the NSRCC Your Excellency
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, SUDAN
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD
2) General El Zubeir Mohamed Saleh
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior Dear General
and Deputy Chairman of the NSRCC
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, SUDAN
Telegrams: General El Zubeir Mohamed Saleh, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
3) The Acting Minister of Justice and Attorney-General
Ministry of Justice Dear Minister
Khartoum, SUDAN
Telexes: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD
(via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
Mr Jalal Ali Lutfi Mr Ali Sahloul
Chief Justice Law Courts Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Khartoum, Sudan Minister of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 873,
Khartoum Sudan
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan in your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 28 May 1992.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index:AFR 54/15/92
Distr: UA/SC
6 April 1992
Further information on UA 107/92 (AFR 54/12/92, 1 April 1992, and follow-up
AFR 54/13/92, 3 April 1992) - Legal and Health Concern
SUDAN: Nadia Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Afifa Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Layla Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Haram Ahmad Ali Karrar (Female)
Saria Abdelmoneim Karrar, eight-year-old child
Hana al-Sadiq Abdullah al-Fadl al-Mahdi (Female)
Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Manal Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Muna Mustafa Awad Khojali
the mother of Majda, Manal and Muna
Mhassin Abulgassim (Female)
Mona Abulgassim (Female)
Awadia Abulgassim (Female)
Awatif Mirghani Taha (Female)
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Manal Mohammed Mahgoub (Female)
Hayat (Female)
Fathia (Female)
Zakia (Female)
Fatima (Female)
Assia (Female)
Mahassin (Female)
Salwa (Female)
Samira (Female)
and the mother of Lt. Col. Mohamed Abdulaziz
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali, one of the 23 women and one child named above who were arrested while demonstrating in Khartoum on 31 March and 1 April 1992, is reported to have been taken ill while in detention.
In the follow-up to UA 107/92 (AFR 54/13/92, 3 April 1992), it was reported that she suffers from a heart condition and had been denied medical attention. It is now reported that on 1 April 1992 she was taken from Omdurman Women's Prison under the promise of being taken to receive medical attention. Instead, she was taken to the headquarters of the national Security Services where she was interrogated and beaten. A security official is reported to have then given her an injection, but the nature of this and the reasons for it are unknown. After the injection she is reported to have been taken ill and to have experienced swelling of her body. The security officials who were returning her to Omdurman Women's Prison, took her to her home so she could collect medication. However, on her return to prison, she reportedly fell into a coma.
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/express and airmail letters
- expressing serious concern about reports that Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali, who suffers from a heart complaint, is reported to have been taken seriously ill and denied adequate medical attention;
- expressing concern that she is reported to have been beaten when taken for interrogation at the headquarters of Sudan Security on 1 April 1992, and was given an injection there of an unknown substance which may have worsened her condition;
- seeking assurances that she is now receiving medical attention and has access to her family and lawyer;
- urging that Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali, regarded by Amnesty International to be a prisoner of conscience together with the 22 other women and one child arrested on 31 March and 1 April 1992, be immediately and unconditionally released.
APPEALS TO:
1. His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir
Head of State and Chairman of the NSRCC
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir,
Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD OR 22411 KAID SD
[Salutation: Your Excellency]
2. Brigadier-General al-Zubeir Mohamed Saleh
Deputy Prime Minister,
Minister of the Interior and Deputy Chaiarman of the NSRCC
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Brig-Gen al-Zubeir Mohamed Saleh,
Khartoum Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
[Salutation: Dear Brigadier-General]
3. The Acting Minister of Justice and Attorney-General
Ministry of Justice
Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD
(via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
[Salutation: Dear Minister]
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
Mr Jalal Ali Lutfi
Chief Justice
Law Courts
Khartoum, Sudan
Mr Ali Sahloul
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 873,
Khartoum Sudan
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan in your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 18 May 1992.
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EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AFR 54/13/92
Distr: UA/SC
3 April 1992
Further information on UA 107/92 (AFR 54/12/92, 1 April 1992) - Legal / Health Concern
SUDAN: Nadia Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Afifa Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Layla Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Haram Ahmad Ali Karrar (Female)
Saria Abdelmoneim Karrar, eight-year-old child
Hana al-Sadiq Abdullah al-Fadl al-Mahdi (Female)
Majda Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
Manal Mustafa Awad Khojali (Female)
the mother of Majda and Manal
and another woman whose name is unknown
NEW NAMES: Mhassin Abulgassim (Female)
Mona Abulgassim (Female)
Awadia Abulgassim (Female)
Awatif Mirghani Taha (Female)
Samira Hassan Ali Karrar (Female)
Manal Mohammed Mahgoub (Female)
Hayat (Female)
Fathia (Female)
Zakia (Female)
Fatima (Female)
Assia (Female)
Mahassin (Female)
Salwa (Female)
Samira (Female)
and the mother of Lt. Col. Mohamed Abdulaziz
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The 15 women in the above list of new names, were reportedly arrested by Sudanese security officials on 1 April 1992 as they demonstrated in front of the headquarters of Sudan Security in the Hai Mattar district, Khartoum, to commemorate the execution of 28 army officers on 24 April 1990. Those arrested are relatives of the officers executed in April 1990. They include the widow of Colonel Bashir Mustafa Bashir, the sister of Colonel 'Ismat Mirghani Taha, the widow of Brigadier Osman al-Sayed Balol, the sister of Captain Mudather Mohammed Mahgoori, the mother of Captain Mudather Mohammed Mahgoub and the sister of Lieutenant Colonel Abdelmoniem Hassan Ali Karrar (see UA 161/90, AFR 54/19/90 and follow up AFR/24/90).
It has been reported that a number of the women were assaulted by security officials as they were arrested on 1 April. A 70-year-old woman is reported to have been beaten and dragged along the ground. The women are reported to be currently detained at the headquarters of the security service.
The arrests follow others which took place on 31 March 1992 at a previous demonstration in Khartoum, when other women relatives of the officers executed in April 1990 entered the grounds of the Presidential Palace. On this occasion, 9 women and an eight-year-old girl were detained. They are currently being held in Omdurman Womens' Prison where they are reported to be on hunger-strike. One of the detainees held since 31 March, Majda Awad Khojali, suffers from a heart condition and is reported to have been denied medical attention. Another of the women, Manal Awad Khojali, who is a nursing mother, has reportedly been denied access to her baby.
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/express and airmail letters:
- expressing concern at the arrest of the women named above on 1 April 1992 who Amnesty International believes are prisoners of conscience arrested for engaging in their internationally recognized fundamental right to freedom of expression and association;
- expressing concern that some of them are reported to have been assaulted while they were arrested;
- expressing concern that 9 other women and a child arrested on 31 March 1992 are reported to remain in detention at Omdurman Womens' Prison and now to be on hunger-strike;
- expressing concern that Majda Awad Khojali, who suffers from a heart complaint, is reported to have been denied medical attention and that Manal Awad Khojali, a nursing mother, has been denied access to her baby;
- seeking assurances that they are being humanely treated and that they have immmediate and regular access to their families, lawyers and medical attention;
- urging that they be immediately and unconditionally released.
APPEALS TO:
1. His Excellency Lieutenant General
Omar Hassan al-Bashir
[Salutation: Your Excellency]
Head of State and Chairman of the NSRCC
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Lt Gen Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22385 PEPLC SD OR 22411 KAID SD
2. Brigadier-General al-Zubeir Mohamed Saleh
[Salutation: Dear Brigadier-General]
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior
and Deputy Chaiarman of the NSRCC
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Telegrams: Brig-Gen al-Zubeir Mohamed Saleh, Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22842 WZARA SD or 22604 IPOL SD
3. The Acting Minister of Justice and Attorney-General
[Salutation: Dear Minister]
Ministry of Justice
Khartoum, Sudan
Telexes: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD
(via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
Mr Jalal Ali Lutfi
Chief Justice
Law Courts
Khartoum, Sudan
Mr Ali Sahloul
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 873,
Khartoum, Sudan
and to diplomatic representatives of Sudan in your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 15 May 1992.
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