تحرك عاجل .. حملة توقيعات لإدانة التعذيب الذي تعرض له الصحفي أبوذر الأمين بمعتقلات جهاز الأمن

معاوية المدير

Further information on UA: 119/10 Index: AFR 54/019/2010 Sudan Date: 26 May 2010
URGENT ACTION
DETAINED SUDANESE JOURNALISTS TORTURED
Abuzar Al Amin and Al Tahir Abu Jawhara, who work for the Sudanese newspaper, Rai Al Shaab,
have been tortured by National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) agents after they were
arrested with three other colleagues on 15 and 16 May.
Abuzar Al Amin, the Deputy Editor in Chief of Rai Al Shaab newspaper, was arrested on 15 May with three of his
colleagues, Ashraf Abdelaziz, the newspaper’s editor, printer Abu Baker Al Sammani, and administrator Nagi Dahab.
Al Tahir Abu Jawhara, head of the political news desk of Rai Al Shaab was arrested separately on 16 May.
On 19 May, the men were transferred to the “Crimes against the State” Prosecution offices in the Sudanese capital,
Khartoum. Abuzar Al Amin's family visited him there for the first time on 20 May. He had been tortured while held
in incommunicado detention following his arrest. He was covered in bruises and complained of back pain, blood in
his urine and insomnia. He is in need of urgent specialized medical attention.
Al Tahir Abu Jawhara has also reportedly been tortured. Abu Baker Al Sammani has since been released by the
NISS.
The arrest of the Rai Al Shaab staff immediately followed the arrest of Hassan Al Turabi, leader of the opposition
Popular Congress Party. The office of Rai Al Shaab, which supports the Popular Congress Party, was raided by NISS
agents. When employees arrived for work on 16 May, the offices were closed and guarded by NISS agents.
Abuzar al Amin has been charged with several criminal offences, including undermining the Constitutional system,
espionage against the State, and publication of false news. Some of these charges are punishable by the death
penalty in Sudan. Abuzar al Amin was interrogated only about his work as a journalist. Amnesty International
believes that he is being held and charged solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English, Arabic or your own language:
Calling for an investigation into the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of Abuzar Al Amin and Al Tahir
Abu Jawhara and urging the authorities to hold those responsible accountable;
Calling on the authorities to provide immediate and specialized medical attention to the two men, and to allow a
medical examination of Ashraf Abdelaziz and Nagi Dahab to record reports of torture if it has occurred;
Calling for the men, who remain detained to be immediately and unconditionally released;
Calling for the 2010 National Security Act to be reformed to remove the excessive powers of the NISS, including
powers of search, seizure, arrest and detention without judicial oversight for four and a half months.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 7 JULY 2010 TO:
President
HE President Omar Al Bashir
Office of the President
People’s Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum
Sudan
Fax: +249 183 774 339
Salutation: Your Excellency
Director of the NISS
Mohamed Atta Al-Moula Abbas
Director of the NISS
NISS Headquarters
Khartoum
Sudan
Salutation: Dear Director Abbas
And copies to:
Dr Abdelmuneim Osman Mohamed
Taha
Advisory Council for Human Rights
PO Box 302
Khartoum
Sudan
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above
date. This is the first update of UA 119/10 AFR 54/017/2010. Further information: www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AFR54/017/2010/en
Date: 26 May 2010
URGENT ACTION
DETAINED SUDANESE JOURNALISTS TORTURED
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Through Sudan's 2010 National Security Act, which came into force in February, the NISS retains extensive powers of arrest,
detention, search and seizure. Detainees can be held for up to four and a half months without judicial review and NISS agents
have immunity for any human rights violations carried out as part of their work. Amnesty International has documented
numerous cases where the powers of the NISS have been used to arbitrarily detain, torture and otherwise ill-treat student
activists, human rights defenders and journalists.
The arrests of the Rai Al Shaab staff follows on from a number of incidents in recent months where journalists, activists, and
others who speak out against the Sudanese government have been detained by the NISS.
Further information on UA: 119/10 Index: AFR 54/019/2010 Issue Date: 26 May 2010

7 May 2010
Alert
WiPC concerned by detained editor's reports of torture


Incident details
Accusation, Detention, Torture
Abu Zar al-Amin, Editor

Detention
Ashraf Abdel Aziz, Journalist
Dahab Ibrahim, Journalist
Nagi Dahab, Media worker
Abu Baker Al-Sammani, Media worker
(WiPC/IFEX) - The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) protests the arrest and detention since 16 May 2010 of three journalists with the opposition daily newspaper "Rai al-Shaab" amid a post-election crackdown on the Sudanese media and opposition leaders. Deputy editor Abu Zar al-Amin has reportedly been transferred to police custody after being given electric shocks; the whereabouts of reporters Ashraf Abdel Aziz and Dahab Ibrahim remain unknown. The WiPC calls on the Sudanese authorities to release the three journalists immediately and unconditionally and to investigate the allegations of torture.

Abu Zara al-Amin, Ashraf Abdel Aziz and Dahab Ibrahim, respectively deputy editor and reporters working for the opposition daily newspaper "Rai al-Shaab", were arrested during a raid by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on the newspaper's offices in Khartoum on 16 May 2010. NISS agents confiscated equipment and copies of the latest issue of the paper and closed the newspaper down until further notice. Two other "Rai al-Shaab" employees, administrator Nagi Dahab and printer Abu Baker Al-Sammani were reportedly also arrested.

All three journalists were detained incommunicado. As of 25 May, al-Amin had reportedly been transferred to police custody and his wife and brother had been allowed to visit him. He is said to be accused of anti-state crimes. According to press reports, al-Amin is in poor health and claims to have been ill treated by national security agents, including being given electric shocks. The whereabouts of the other journalists and employees is still not known.

BACKGROUND:
The raid on "Rai al-Shaab" was apparently triggered by a 14 May article alleging that Iran had built a weapons factory in Sudan to supply insurgents in Africa and the Middle East. The ruling National Congress Party (PCP) dismissed the report as false and a scheme by the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) - which publishes "Rai al-Shaab" - to damage relations between Sudan and the United States. The day before the raid, on 15 May, the authorities arrested PCP leader Hassan al-Turabi, who is a vocal critic of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, accusing the politician of "stirring up hatred, disseminating malicious lies and abuse of Sudan's foreign relations".

There were further raids on several other newspapers on 19 May, including another opposition newspaper, "Ajras Alhurria", which was ordered to remove an article on the journalists' arrests.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, was re-elected in national elections in April 2010. According to rights groups, the election process was seriously flawed and marred by widespread repression and human rights violations.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals:

• Protesting the arrest and detention since 16 May 2010 of journalists Abu Zara al-Amin, Ashraf Abdel Aziz and Dahab Ibrahim of the opposition daily newspaper "Rai al-Shaab", which the WiPC believes is a clear violation of their right to freedom of expression;
• Expressing serious concern that the journalists have been held incommunicado and that al-Amin has reportedly been subjected to torture;
• Calling on the Sudanese authorities to release the three journalists immediately and unconditionally and to investigate the allegations of torture against al-Amin.


APPEALS TO:
HE President Omar al-Bashir
Office of the President
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum
Fax: +249 183 774339
Salutation: Your Excellency

Mohamed Atta Al-Moula Abbas
Director of the NISS
NISS Headquarters
Khartoum
Salutation: Dear Director Abbas

And copies to:

Dr Priscilla Joseph
Chair of the Human Rights Committee
National Assembly
Omdurman
Fax: +249 187 560 980
Salutation: Dear Dr Joseph

Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Sudan in your country if possible. Details of some Sudanese embassies around the world can be seen here: http://www.africaguide.com/country/sudan/offices.htm

Please send appeals as soon as possible. Check with International PEN if sending appeals after 29 June 2010.



Source
International PEN Writers in Prison Committee
Brownlow House
50-51 High Holborn
London WC1V 6ER
United Kingdom
wipc (@) internationalpen.org.uk
Phone: +44 20 74050338
Fax: +44 20 74050339

Sudanese editor charged with terrorism and espionage
New York, May 25, 2010—Sudanese authorities have charged an opposition journalist with terrorism and espionage and allegedly tortured him while in custody, according to local news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists called today for the immediate release of Abu Zar al-Amin, deputy editor of the opposition daily Rai al-Shaab.

Khartoum’s prosecutor-general charged al-Amin with “undermining the constitution,” “terrorism and espionage,” “publishing false news,” “undermining the prestige of the State,” and “inciting sedition” on Tuesday, according to news reports. Al-Amin was arrested with three of his colleagues on May 16 when security forces closed down the daily because of an article alleging that Iran had built a weapons factory in Sudan to supply insurgents in Africa and the Middle East. If convicted, al-Amin faces the death penalty, his lawyer Mohamed al-Alim told CPJ. Al-Alim said the other three newspaper staffers had not been charged yet.

Al-Amin told the lawyer that he has been severely beaten and that he lost consciousness after being given electric shocks.

“We are appalled by the outrageous charges against Abu Zar al-Amin. Officials may be angry about this unsubstantiated report, but this is not a criminal matter and there is no justification whatsoever for this alleged abuse,” said Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director. “We call on the government to release al-Amin and to investigate these allegations of torture.”

On Sunday, Rai al-Shaab’s political editor, Ibrahim al-Tahir, was arrested in connection to the same article at his home in Omdurman, al-Alim told CPJ. Al-Tahir is in police custody but has not been charged yet