Turabi’s family accuse Sudan security of intimidation Article Comments (3) Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 13, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The family of a jailed opposition leader accused agents from the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) of resorting to intimidation tactics during his stay in hospital where he was recently admitted. Islamist Sudanese opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi (AFP) Essam, son of Popular Congress Party (PCP) leader Hassan Al-Turabi, told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that his father is suffering from sudden surges in his blood pressure and doe snot respond to medical treatment. He stressed that Turabi needs to be moved for treatment abroad, something which authorities have refused to allow so far. Essam said that NISS officers make unannounced entrances into Turabi’s room in the hospital and put him under close surveillance watch which he claimed increases his tensions. The Islamist leader was arrested last January without charges and remains in detention beyond the time period a person can be detained without being referred to court for prosecution. The government said it is keeping him in custody for "security reasons". Several mediation attempts made by Islamic brotherhood figures abroad to secure his release failed and president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir refused to let him free. Turabi’s wife told Sudan Tribune this month that Bashir’s assistant Nafie Ali Nafie, considered a hardliner, convinced Bashir to keep him in jail on the grounds that letting him out may lead to a popular uprising incited by him. This week Turabi’s party leveled a new accusation against the government saying that it has poisoned him leading to a quick deterioration in his health. Turabi was the mastermind behind the 1989 coup staged by Bashir. But the pair fell out following the introduction of a bill to limit the president’s powers in 1999, a move which the president resisted by dissolving parliament and declaring a state of emergency. He was in an out of jail the whole time after splitting ranks with Bashir over accusations ranging from staging a coup attempt to standing behind the rebellion that broke out in Darfur. The PCP chief is believed to be seeking to avenge his ouster which was orchestrated by his former disciples. The party has acknowledged that it made a mistake by planning the 1989 and bring Bashir to power. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
