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Islamic Human Rights Commission
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25 June 2010

Update Alert: Sudan – Opposition journalists facing death penalty and life imprisonment

On 15 May 2010, four journalists were arrested and face sentences of life imprisonment or the death penalty.

The Prosecution in Sudan accused the four journalists of attempting to undermine the regime, waging war against the state and terrorism related crimes. Yet it took the prosecution a month before the detainees were given a court hearing. The detainees are now currently detained in Kober prison in North Khartoum.

Detainees are members of the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) and senior journalists Rai Al-Shaab newspaper and those are; Abu Zar Alamin, Ashraf Abdel Aziz, Ramadan Mahjoub and al-Taher Ibrahim.

It was reported that during the court’s hearing, the defendant’s defence team withdrew from the hearing in objection to the prosecution and judges’ rejection of four witnesses who were summoned by the defence team to corroborate testimonies.

Witnesses included Ali, Director of Ceremonies at the Presidential Palace, Yasser Arman, Deputy Secretary General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Muzdalifa Mohamed Othman, Chief Editor of al-Hadath newspaper and Faisal Mohamed Saleh, Media Expert.

IHRC urges the Sudanese government to give them the right to a fair trial articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Sudanese Constitution, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to abolish death penalty charges against members of the opposition and journalist, as this hampers freedom of expression.

IHRC calls on the Sudanese government to stop resorting to violence and torturing detainees and abide by the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

For further background information on the case please visit the following link: