Amnesty International USA
Press Release
Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Prisoner Sentenced to Death by Special Counter-Terrorism Court in Sudan Showed Evidence of Torture, Says Amnesty International

Human Rights Organization Said Sudanese Government is Responsible for Prisoner's Death and Ill-Treatment

(New York) -- Amnesty International said today that the Sudanese government was responsible for the death and ill-treatment of a prisoner who died from tuberculosis in police custody last week.

Ahmed Suleiman Sulman died on October 21 at the police hospital to which he was taken from Kober prison in Khartoum two days before his death. His body was still in shackles and showed evidence of torture.

He had been suffering from a lung infection for a long time but was refused access to a specialized doctor by the prison despite requests by his lawyer.

Amnesty International has serious concerns regarding the conditions under which prisoners are held in Kober, and has received numerous accounts of ill-treatment and poor hygiene conditions.

“We are gravely concerned about the prisoners who remain in Kober prison. The Sudanese government must ensure that the detainees families and doctors have immediate access to them,” said Tawanda Hondora, deputy director of Amnesty International's Africa Program.

Sulman was one of 103 men sentenced to death by the special counter-terrorism courts established following an attack by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), an armed opposition group, on Omdurman, near Khartoum, on May 10, 2008.

“The government must order an independent investigation into the death of Mr. Sulman. Torture is abhorrent. Those responsible for Mr. Sulman’s ill-treatment and death must be brought to justice in fair trials.” said Hondora.

Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for following the JEM attack on Omdurman.

Sulman was detained by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) between May 12 and 13, 2008. He was sentenced to death in August 2008 and had been in Kober prison since then.

According to information received by Amnesty International, Sulman, who was said to have been in his late-twenties, was severely traumatized by the torture he endured following his arrest. Several sources confirmed to Amnesty International that Sulman was mentally ill when he faced trial.

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

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Contact: Suzanne Trimel, 212-633-4150, strimel@aiusa.org

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