Human Rights Advocates Detained in Darfur

(NEW YORK, May 17, 2006) The International Refugee Rights Initiative today expressed its concern at the treatment of Mossad Mohamed Ali, a lawyer and Coordinator of the Amel Centre for Rehabilitation of Victims of torture in Nyala, and Adam Mohammed Sharief, a lawyer working with Amel’s network. The two have been detained without charge and are being held incommunicado.

At 9:30 AM on May 15, 2006, Mr. Ali and Mr. Sharief were summoned to the offices of the National Security Bureau (NSB) in Nyala. No explanation of this summons was offered. The two were held incommunicado for thirteen hours and finally released that night. During this time, neither Mr. Ali nor Mr. Sherif were questioned nor were they charged with any crime.

Mr. Ali and Mr. Sharief were denied access to family members and lawyers. In addition, members of the United Nations Mission in Sudan were not allowed permission to see Mr. Ali.

Mr. Ali’s family reports that upon his release Mr. Ali was very ill and suffering from abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

Despite this illness, Mr. Ali and Mr. Sharief were called in for questioning again on the morning on May 16. This time they were arrested and both have now been held for more than 36 hours. The International Refugee Rights Initiative is extremely concerned about reports that Mr. Sharief and Mr. Ali have still not been allowed access to counsel. We are also particularly concerned about the health of Mr. Ali, in light of his recent health problems.

We urge that Mr. Ali and Mr. Sharief be released unless there are valid charges against them. If valid charges exist, Mr. Ali and Mr. Sharief should be informed of these immediately and be brought promptly before an independent tribunal, as required by national and international law. Article 34 of the Bill of Rights of the Sudanese Interim Constitution in particular guarantees detainees the right to be promptly informed of the reasons for their arrest and any charges against them. The refusal to allow access of lawyers to Mr. Ali and Mr. Sharief is also in contravention both of international law and of the recent Darfur Peace Agreement which provides for the right to defense through a lawyer, in Article 3 paragraph 25 (b).

We are also concerned that Mr. Ali and Mr. Sharief may have been targeted solely for their work in promoting human rights. The role of civil society in monitoring the situation of human rights is particularly important as efforts to bring a peaceful end to the crisis, begun by the recent signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement move forward. In order for any agreement to be successful in stabilizing the region it must be supported by respect for human rights and the right of human rights defenders to promote these rights as recognized in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Human Rights Defenders.