Eastern Sudanese civil rights activist still held incommunicado

08/01/2017 09:09 KHARTOUM

Civil rights activist Abdallah Abdelgeyoum, detained by agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in eastern Sudan’s El Gedaref in December, has reportedly been transferred to Khartoum.
Abdelgeyoum was detained on 18 December last year, a day before a civil disobedience action would take place throughout the country. The civil strike was a protest against the liberalisation of the fuel market and other austerity measures taken by the Sudanese government in November.

Civil rights activist Abdallah Abdelgeyoum, detained by agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in eastern Sudan's El Gedaref in December, has reportedly been transferred to Khartoum.

Abdelgeyoum was detained on 18 December, a day before a civil disobedience action would take place throughout the country. The civil strike was a protest against the liberalisation of the fuel market and other austerity measures taken by the Sudanese government in November.

Friends of the activist told Radio Dabanga that he has been transferred to Khartoum. The NISS Information Office in Khartoum however rejected the request of Abdelgeyoum’s family to visit him, they said.

They expressed their fears that he may be ill-treated by the security agents, and demanded his immediate release.

Abdelgeyoum was held by the NISS earlier, in 2013. He was brutally tortured during his detention.

More than 40 political activists and members of opposition parties were detained since the Sudanese government implemented its economic reform measures in November. About 20 of them have been released.