The Human Rights and Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND) is deeply

concerned about the arrest of three Darfuri students by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in Khartoum on Tuesday, 11 May 2010. The students were arrested in their house in Al-Haj Yousif suburb of Khartoum North. Around 3:00 am on 11 May 2010 about 14 heavily armed NISS agents raided the house owned by Mr. Adam Ali (55 years old), and arrested Mr. Mohamed Adam Ali (26 years old), Mr. Abubaker Omer Ahmed (25 years old) and Mr. Hafiz Adam Ali (16 years old).

Mohammed Adam is an MA student, University of Khartoum, and a well-known student activist. He is originally from Zalengie town in Western Darfur State. Mr. Abubaker Omer Ahmed is a student at Omdurman Islamic University (Faculty of Arts). He also works for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Zalengie Office and at the time of his arrest he was visiting Khartoum to sit for the mid-term examination. Mr. Hafiz Adam is the youngest brother of Mohammed Adam. He is a high secondary school student. The three students were awaked in the early hours of the day when the NISS stormed their room. They were taken under gunpoint into a security vehicle and driven to an unknown place of detention.

Mr. Hafiz Adam was released few hours later in the same day. He informed his family that all of them were taken to an unknown place and that they were severely tortured and interrogated about the activities of the United Popular Front (UPF). Hafiz Adam was only released because of his young age. Mr. Mohamed Adam Ali and Mr. Abubaker Omer Ahmed were taken to yet another unknown place. Their families were not informed about their whereabouts or allowed to communicate with them. There are serious fears about the safety and personal integrity of these two students.

The United Popular Front (UPF) is a political pressure group founded in November 2004 by a group of University students from Darfur. UPF was created as response to the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in Darfur. UPF is accused by the government of Sudan of forging links with the insurgent Sudan Liberation Movement (SLA)-led by Mr. Abdel Wahid Al Nour. UPF activities are supported by many followers in Darfur especially among the IDP populations. UPF has branch Offices in a number of Universities and Higher Education Institutions both in Khartoum and in the major towns of Darfur.

UPF members have been accused systematically of supporting an armed movement, propagating foreign agendas, strengthening ties with Israel and leading anti-National Congress Party political activities. Tens of UPF members especially students were arrested by the NISS since 2006. At present there are at least 9 UPF student members held in prison for more than one year without charges or trial.

A UPF member and student leader at University of Khartoum late Mr. Mohammed Musa was arrested and reportedly tortured to death in February 2010 in Khartoum. His dead body was found in Omdurman two days after he was abducted from the University campus in Omdurman by armed NISS agents. No serious investigations of this murder case have been carried out by police of the judiciary so far and the case is expected to be closed for lack of evidence.

An example to illustrate this situation is the case of Mr. Abdul-Salam El-Sheikh Ahmed, a UPF member held in government custody since 2009. Abdul-Salam has been moved on many occasions between Dabak and Kober prisons to prevent his family from visiting him. His brother reported to HAND that the family could not meet Abdul-Salam for about five months and his family in El-Geneina, Western Darfur State does not know whether he is still alive or killed. The family of Abdul-Salam is worried about the incommunicado detention of their son and have serious doubts about his safety and personal integrity as the NISS continues to deny them the right of visit and that the last

time they were allowed to see him was in December 2009.

HAND condemns the ongoing campaign of arbitrary arrests, assassination, torture and harassment and incommunicado detention of UPF members in Khartoum and Darfur.

The deliberate attacks by NISS against UPF members represent serious violations of the right to freedom of expression and association that are historically enjoyed by University Students in Sudan. This aggressive campaign is discriminatory in nature as it targets certain students from Darfur because of their ethic, tribal and political affiliations. These draconian measures represent blatant violations of Sudan’s obligations under regional and international human rights treaties to which the Sudan is a state party.

HAND therefore calls upon the international community and the national and regional human rights groups and activists to raise their concerns about the brutal human rights violations against UPF members and provide protection for them. HAND calls for the immediate release of Mr. Mohamed Adam Ali and Mr. Abubaker Omer Ahmed without delay. All students from Darfur that are currently in government custody should be released without delay or produced before court of justice. Hand also calls upon the government of Sudan to put an immediate end to its campaign of harassment against students from Darfur. We also call on the government to commence genuine investigation of the killing of Mohammed Musa and bring those responsible for it to justice.

Please send your messages and letters of protest to the following:

H.E. Mr. Deng Alor H.E. Mr. Kosti Manebi

Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Humanitarian Affairs

PO Box 873, Khartoum (Sudan) P.O. Box , Khartoum, (Sudan)

Fax No. 00249 183 77 72 65 and 00249 183 77 93 83
Fax No. 00249 183 78 96 75

H.E. Dr. Abdelmoniem Osman Mohamed Taha H. E. John John Ukec Lueth

Rapporteur Permanent Representative

Advisory Council for Human Rights Mission of Sudan to UN Office

PO Box 302, Khartoum (Sudan) Avenue Blanc 47

Fax No. 00 249 183 77 08 83 1202 Geneva (Switzerland)

Fax No. 00 41 22 731 26 56

For more information please contact:

Human Rights and Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND)

Hand.sudan@gmail.com , http://hand-sudan.org/

Tel: +256784943513