Sudan: trial resumes after three week recess

The trial of Reverend Hassan Abduraheem, Reverend Kuwa Shamal, Mr Petr Jašek and Mr Abdulmonem Abdumawla resumed in Sudan on 17 October after a three-week recess.

During the hearing, the prosecution presented the case investigator as its first witness and questioned him on the evidence allegedly found against the men. The legal team representing the men have been concerned by what they see as unnecessary delays in the case, with several postponements and adjournments in the trial so far. The next hearing is scheduled for 24 October.

The men are charged jointly with at least seven crimes, including waging war against the state (Article 51 of the Sudanese Criminal Code) and espionage (Article 53), which carry the death penalty as the maximum sentence.

The case against Reverend Abduraheem, Mr Jašek and Mr Abdumawla, centres on the provision of finances for the medical treatment of Mr Ali Omer, a young man from Darfur who was injured in a demonstration in 2013. The prosecution alleges that the $5,000 Mr Jašek donated towards Mr Omer’s treatment was in reality support for rebel movements in the South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur regions.

By framing the case in this manner, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) has attempted to exploit the fact that Reverends Abduraheem and Shamal are originally from the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan and Mr Abdumawla is from Darfur. Reverend Shamal was not involved in fundraising for Mr Omer’s treatment but appears to have been included in the case due to his senior position in the Sudan Church of Christ, his relationship with Reverend Abduraheem and his ethnicity.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, “We remain concerned by the unjust detention and trial of Reverends Hassan Abduraheem and Kuwa Shamal, Mr Petr Jasek and Mr Abdulmonem Abdumawla. The unwarranted delays in the trial, including the three week adjournment, have resulted in the men being held in prison for longer than is necessary. We urge the government of Sudan todrop the charges against them without condition or delay. We also call for a review of NISS’s powers and for the end to the targeting of religious and ethnic minorities in Sudan.”

Notes to Editors:

1. Click here to join in CSW’s campaign on this case.