Six prisoners, families on hunger strike in North Darfur

07/06/2010 11:29

More than 30 families went on hunger strike on Friday in Zamzam, Abu Shouk and Assalam displaced persons camps around El Fasher, protesting the detention of their family members since last year. This comes after the six detainees themselves began to refuse food about a week ago. The detainees have been held under provisions of the Emergency Law for about a year in Shalla Prison, and they have not been brought to trial. Family members explained that their action is meant as a form of pressure on the government and they will continue in solidarity with their imprisoned relatives. They also voiced anger at the UN-African Union Peacekeeping Mission (UNAMID), saying they will not allow any convoy of UNAMID to cross their camp.In response to this development, the Darfur Bar Association sent a delegation on Monday to the Ministry of Justice in Khartoum with a letter of appeal on behalf of the detainees.

More than 30 families went on hunger strike on Friday in Zamzam, Abu Shouk and Assalam displaced persons camps around El Fasher, protesting the detention of their family members since last year. This comes after the six detainees themselves began to refuse food about a week ago. The detainees have been held under provisions of the Emergency Law for about a year in Shalla Prison, and they have not been brought to trial. Family members explained that their action is meant as a form of pressure on the government and they will continue in solidarity with their imprisoned relatives. They also voiced anger at the UN-African Union Peacekeeping Mission (UNAMID), saying they will not allow any convoy of UNAMID to cross their camp.

In response to this development, the Darfur Bar Association sent a delegation on Monday to the Ministry of Justice in Khartoum with a letter of appeal on behalf of the detainees.