Sudanese lawyers call for release of political prisoners

Scores of Sudanese lawyers yesterday took part in a protest outside the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Khartoum to call for the release of activists and political prisoners, Anadolu reported.

The Emergency Lawyers Committee, which organised the protest, said in a statement that it handed over a letter to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calling for it to help locate those forcibly disappeared and political prisoners.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Congress Party said the lawyers had called for the release of those who raised the slogan of change and reform. “The coup regime has been detaining activists and political prisoners since 25 October 2021,” it said in a statement.

Prisoners in Soba Prison have been on hunger strike for three days in protest against the mistreatment they are suffering, it added.

Sudan has been living in political turmoil since 25 October when Al-Burhan staged a coup and placed Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok under house arrest.

Following mass protests, Al-Burhan reached a deal with Hamdok in November that reinstated him as prime minister. However, popular protests continued with some demonstrators saying that his reinstatement was helping legitimise the military takeover.

In early January, Hamdok resigned.

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