Immediate Release:.Detention of SPLM Leaders is a clear sign for the Elections not to be free

Detention of SPLM Leaders is a clear sign for the Elections not to be free and fair in Sudan comes April 2010.

Immediate Release.
Date December 7, 2009.

The Secretary General of SPLM Comrade Pagan Amum Okiech, Deputy Secretary General of SPLM Northern Sector Comrade Yasir Saeed Arman, many others from the SPLM, other political parties’ members and citizens of Sudan have been arrested today by the National Congress Party (NCP) Security. This arrest of the SPLM leaders is a clear sign that the elections will not be free and fair in April 2010. The NCP can arrest anybody during the elections’ campaign if they can now arrest their only partner the SPLM leaders.

The SPLM Leaders and the citizens of Sudan, which is estimated to be 1.2 millions citizens including 40,000 SPLM supporters, came out today in Khartoum the capital city of Sudan to demonstrate their concerns about the laws (National Security Act or laws meant for democratic transformation of Sudan, Referenda laws for South Sudan and Abyei, and the popular consultation laws) the NCP are proposing to the National Assembly without any consensus with SPLM and other political parties in Sudan. It has to be recalled that the National Security Act proposed by NCP to be passed in the parliament using their mechanical majority has given the Security force the power to arrest and this is demonstrated today that anyone can be arrested by the NCP including their partners, the SPLM leaders using this so called National Security Law.

This act by the NCP Security is a violation of the freedom of expression of the citizens’ rights in Sudan which are embedded in the CPA and the Interim National Constitution of Sudan and must be stopped and the world should hold NCP accountable if the situation deteriorated in to crisis.

The SPLM condemned this move and the world must intervene to rescue the situation

Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth
SPLM National Liberation Council Member-USA.