Lawyers Group Denounces New Arrests of Resistance Committees Members in Sudan

A picture showing members of the joint security forces storming a house in Khartoum North hunting protesters on Nov 17, 2021 (ST photo)

April 13, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Lawyers in Sudan said on Wednesday that the security services had carried out a fresh arrest campaign against political activists from the Resistance Committees, the spearhead of the anti-coup protests in the country.

The crackdown on protest leaders took place as the military leaders pledged recently to take the needed measures to create a conducive environment for dialogue including ending the use of violence, the release of political detainees and lift of the state of emergency.

The Emergency Lawyers stated that the security authorities raided the homes of the leaders of the protest and arrested them, anticipating any political action that they may organise.

They said this preventive detention reminds them of the practices of the security services during the former regime.

The statement said that a security force stormed the home of Rasheed Abash’s family on Monday evening, April 11, in the Al-Azhari neighbourhood, south of Khartoum. When they did not find him, they arrested his cousin who is sick and told the family they would release him when Rasheed surrender himself.

The same scenario occurred when the security forces raided, the house of the family of three brothers Uqba, Mutasim and Osman Mohamed Zakaria in the Al-Dyoum Al-Sharqiah neighbourhood and arrested them on Tuesday, April 12.

The lawyers said that 10 activists were arrested from this neighbourhood alone.

The statement added that another activist Tariq Abdel-Moneim Khawaja was also arrested from the Al-Dyoum on Wednesday in the afternoon.

The security forces fired tear gas, terrified the family and demanded to hand over his brother Mohamed Abdel Moneim.

Rights groups have reported that the security forces arrest members of the Resistance Committees but deny their arrest and refuse to provide information about their whereabouts.

(ST)