Urgent Appeal to the Government of United Kingdom Detained Girls and Women are vulnerable to Rape and Torture  

24 January 2018

The list below shows the plight of Sudanese girls and women who were arrested and detained by the National Intelligences and Security Service (NISS), on different dates and locations, subsequent to peaceful demonstration that swept Sudan after Government of Sudan has announced harsh austerity measures. Some of the detainees were released as indicated, however we believe there still tens of missing women and girls who were kidnapped and detained by NISS in secret detentions.

The NISS continue detaining tens of peaceful demonstrators including opposition political party members, activists and individuals; censoring newspapers by seizing their daily-print runs prior to distribution and use of force (including firing live ammunition) to disperse protests.

The NISS detaining the women and girls in different areas in Sudan  mainly in city of Sinnar, North Kordofan, Kassala, Khartoum and Blue Nile states without charge or access to family or legal representation.

Under the notorious 2010 National Security Act (NSA), detainees can be held for up to four and a half months without judicial review.  We seriously concerned for the safety and integrity of those women. We are aware of documented allegation of rape and torture committed by the NISS against the detained women.  We views the detention of the group to have no legitimate legal basis, and to be based solely on the peaceful expression of their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association.

We are very concerned for the safety and security of those women who still in custody without charge and without access to their families or lawyers. The lack of access to lawyers and family members of the detainees, together with the well-documented use by the NISS of torture rape and other forms of ill-treatment against detainees, particularly whilst held in unknown locations, gives rise to serious concerns for their safety. Incommunicado detention significantly enhances vulnerability to being subjected to torture, rape and other ill-treatment.

We call upon the Government of United Kingdom to put pressure on of Sudan abide by its human rights obligations to ensure at least it grant the detainees immediate and unequivocal access to their lawyers and family members, and release them in the absence of valid legal charges consistent with international standards. The Sudan government must also guarantee all detainees at NISS secret detentions are brought before judicial authority and ensure they have access to medical assistance required to ensure their physical and psychological well-being.

Please see below list of detainees:

List of women detainees in Sudan in January 2018