No.: H.K/UA/13/023
Date: 20th September 2023
URGENT
APPEAL
SAF ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED MR. ALI ALSAID IN
ROSERIES, SUDAN
On 3rd September 2023, Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) arrested Mr. Ali Alsaid Ali in Roseries and sentenced him for three months imprisonment referring to the Blue Nile State governor’s emergency order. He is detained because of the Facebook post that he shared with different groups.
On 3rd
September 2023, Sudan Armed Force (SAF) in Roseries summoned Mr. Ali Alsaid Ali
by phone call to report at the military base of Roseries. When he arrived
there, he was interrogated about a post that he had shared on different
Facebook accounts. Mr. Ali was subsequently detained incommunicado for a period
of four days at the military base and he was tortured. On 7th
September 2023, he was transferred to Roseries prison where he will be
imprisoned for three (3) months. This is based on the Blue Nile State
governor’s emergency order (whereby the prisoner will not appear before any
court of law for a period of three months).
The
Facebook post was initially written by unidentified person criticizing the Blue
Nile state governor for visiting Roseries town without passing by the IDPs area
or interact with them to address their needs. Mr. Ali was accused of sharing
this post. That the post considered by SAF incites and provokes hatred.
HUDO Centre expresses its concern for
the safety of civilians in Sudan during this difficult time of SAF and RSF
fights (conflict) and calls for the following:
• Blue
Nile State governor to revoke and stop using the emergency order in violating
the civilians’ rights.
•
Sudan Armed Forces to stop arresting civilians
arbitrarily.
• The
Sudan Armed Force in Roseries to immediately release Mr. Ali Alsaid Ali
unconditionally or refer him to the court of law if there is a genuine case
against him.
•
The SAF in Blue Nile State to investigate the
circumstances of Mr. Ali Alsaid Ali
arrest.
Additional
information:
Mr. Ali Alsaid Ali (30 years) studied law, self-employed, he is an internally displaced person (IDP) and lives in Roseries town. Roseries is the second town in Blue Nile State neighbouring its capital city Damazin.
According to the
activists in Blue Nile: ‘’Since last year
2022 a series of emergency orders were issued by the Blue Nile State governor
in response to the tribal conflict in Blue Nile State, the last one (extension)
was issued on 21st April 2023 to meet the complications of the
ongoing conflict between Sudan Armed Force (SAF) and Rapid Support Force (RSF).
However, these emergency laws were used widely by the authority against the
activists to detain, torture and imprison them for three months (according to
the emergency law without appearing before court). The imprison sentence to be
issued by the security committee and signed by the state governor”.
For instance; Mr. Ali Hajo (39 years old) the secretary of the Civil Society Initiative
in Blue Nile was arrested on 26th January 2023, sentenced to
imprisonment and transferred to Roseries prison by 27th January 2023
where he had spent the sentence and released on 25th April 2023.
This was because he had issued an article on his Facebook account criticizing a
security commandant.
The violated rights: personal freedom, freedom of
expression and fair trial
Articles 46, 52 & 57 of the Constitutional Document 2019.
Articles 6 & 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Articles 9, 14 & 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights.
Articles 9, 10 & 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.