Serious reports of thousands of illegal trials

Reports from humanitarian and legal organizations revealed the disappearance of thousands of civilians, secret arrests, and illegal trials in areas controlled by the Sudanese Army.

Lawyer and human rights defender, Amir Mohammed Suliman, stated that numerous organizations’ reports indicated the existence of various secret detention centers where thousands of Sudanese citizens are being held, revealing that the aforementioned number includes lawyers, in addition to cases of enforced disappearance.

Amir indicated to “Radio Dabanga” that some lawyers were killed as a result of the battles taking place throughout Sudan, while others were displaced from their areas to other regions within Sudan or to neighboring countries.

He added that others had fled to some of the states under the control of the Armed Forces and where some prosecution courts were still running. He stressed that some lawyers were subjected to unfair accusations of affiliation or cooperation with the Rapid Support Forces, which caused them legal issues before the Judicial Authorities in Sudan.

Amir pointed out that in addition to lawyers, numerous activists, specifically members of the Resistance Committees or activists in charitable work during the war, were accused of cooperating with the Rapid Support Forces, and subsequently their trials were held in states that are yet to be affected by the war. He expressed his regret, for these trials violated the conditions for a fair trial.

Lawyer Amir Mohammed went on to add: “One of the conditions for a fair trial is that the judge who applies the law must be impartial, but judges in areas under the control of the Armed Forces are under a great deal of pressure to convict the people brought before them, especially if they are accused of cooperating with the Rapid Support Forces.”