Sudan’s teachers mark colleague’s 2019 death by torture

The Teachers’ Committee in Khartoum and a number of states organised demonstrations of loyalty and solidarity yesterday to mark the third anniversary of the murder of Kassala teacher, Ahmed El Kheir who died in detention following torture by Sudanese intelligence services in 2019.

El Kheir was taken from his home in Khashm El Girba in Kassala by members of the (now defunct) National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) – which functioned as an instrument of repression by the deposed Al Bashir dictatorship – after he participated in anti-regime pro-democracy demonstrations. He died two days later, and when his remains were returned to his family, there were signs of torture and beatings over his entire body.

Another man who was detained at the same time as El Kheir, later testified to prosecutors that he saw agents sodomise El Kheir with a stick. The Kassala security committee and police issued a subsequent statement alleging that El Kheir had died of food poisoning.

The demonstration in Khartoum demonstration set off in central Khartoum and moved towards the judiciary and the Public Prosecution, calling for the speedy implementation of the verdict against the killers of El Kheir.

A wide range of professionals, resistance committees, and families of martyrs participated in the procession and chanted slogans calling for the speedy implementation of justice and retribution for El Kheir and all the martyrs.

The Teachers’ Committee also organised in Kassala and El Obeid in North Kordofan, vigils and processions calling for the execution of the verdict on the killers of Ahmed El Kheir.

A large number of students and employees of the professional sectors participated in the Kassala procession. The participants in the procession carried pictures of El Kheir, chanting slogans calling for the speedy implementation of the death sentence.

On Tuesday, hundreds of lawyers organised a protest in front of the Public Prosecution Office in Khartoum, denouncing the violations against civilians and the arrests of activists and human rights defenders.

A representative of the Khartoum Southern Belt Lawyers Union read out a memorandum during the protest in front of the prosecution, refusing to grant immunities to members of the regular forces.

The memorandum condemned the unlawful detention of lawyers, human rights defenders, and activists. It demanded the Attorney General to exercise his powers and competencies and to release all those arbitrarily detained since October 25. It also denounced the current State of Emergency.