(Radio Dabanga) When the president of the National Umma Party (NUP), El Sadig El Mahdi, denounced the paramilitary Rapid Defence Forces (RSF), he spoke on behalf of the entire party, according to Sarah Nugdallah, secretary-general of the NUP. The party, in cooperation with other political opposition forces, continues to protest the detention of El Mahdi, and strive for the defence of freedoms in Sudan. Nugdallah affirmed in an interview with Radio Dabanga that the party keeps to its decision not to participate in the National Dialogue, as proposed by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP). Concerning the complaint filed by the RSF against El Sadig El Mahdi, Nugdallah declared that the NUP leader’s criticism of the RSF is “the official stance of the entire NUP, including all its institutions”. The National Consensus Forces (NCF), a coalition of opposition parties, demanded from the National Congress Party to “immediately disarm and disband the militias”. “The RSF have become the largest security threat to the Sudanese.”
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Sudan rights body questions mental capacity of woman accused of apostasy
(Sudan Tribune) Sudan’s National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) has questioned the mental status of a Christian woman accused of apostasy amid reports that a presidential decree to pardon her will be issued during the week. The head of the woman committee at the NCHR, Meriam Takas, revealed that they formed a committee to follow up on the case, noting that the woman’s name was neither found on the records of the University of Sudan nor Sudan’s examinations commission. Takas said she met with Ibrahim several times in prison, asserting that the case should have been dismissed in the early stages due to suspicions relating to her family lineage and mental capacity. She also pointed to the weakness of Ibrahim’s defense team, adding that investigation procedures have not been properly conducted.
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Christians in Sudan worship in fear
(Live 5) Last month brought the story of Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, a woman accused of renouncing Islam as she married her Christian husband. She’s been sentenced to death. Other Christians in the country increasingly fear for their safety. As the case has dragged on, the pews in churches across the capital have emptied. For many Christians in Sudan going to church has become an act of both courage and conviction. There is a growing sense among Christians that violence against them, whether through words or actions, is increasingly being ignored. Yehya’s husband Daniel said he doesn’t feel safe and doesn’t trust the authorities to protect him. He says that both he and his wife have been threatened several times. The Sudanese constitution enshrines the rights of religious minorities and publicly Sudan touts the many churches in the center of its capital as evidence of tolerance. But how deep does the tolerance run? Not very, says Nabeel Adeeb, a prominent Sudanese human rights lawyer who is himself Christian.
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Sudan’s Bashir resumes duties following recovery from knee surgery
(Sudan Tribune) The Sudanese president, Omer Hassan al-Bashir, has officially resumed his duties at the guesthouse in Khartoum on Tuesday, three weeks after he underwent a knee surgery. He met with the foreign minister, Ali Karti, who briefed him on his recent tour in Norway, Czech Republic, and Turkey. Bashir then chaired the meeting of the higher committee to follow up on the implementation of the economic reform measures in the presence of his First Vice President, Bakri Hassan Salih, 2nd Vice President, Hassabo Mohamed Abdel-Rahman, and several ministers from the economic sector. On May 12, Bashir underwent a knee replacement surgery at the Royal Care hospital in Khartoum. He appeared on TV the day after and then went into a recovery period in which he disappeared from public view. This fuelled rumors that his health took a nosedive, with some even speculating that he died. Others asserted that Bashir has undergone throat surgery and not one in his knee as was announced.
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The west is not helping Sudan’s people free Meriam Ibrahim
(The Guardian) Sudan’s recent history is tainted by the names of women that have fallen victim to the country’s arbitrary sharia and public order laws. Lubna Hussein, sentenced to a lashing for allegedly dressing indecently in public by wearing trousers; Intisar Sharif, sentenced to death by stoning for adultery; and now Meriam Ibrahim, sentenced to death for reportedly turning her back on Islam – her father’s religion – and converting to Christianity. But there is a risk that the intense western reaction to Ibrahim’s case might undermine local efforts to secure her release. In the days immediately following the sentence, reporters from Sudanese TV channels went out on the streets to gather vox pops asking people what they thought of the judgment. Many opposed it.
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Sudan Says Apostasy Death Sentence Depends on Appeal
(Bloomberg) Sudan said the release of a Sudanese mother, whose death sentence for refusing to recant her Christian faith sparked global criticism, depends on the outcome of her legal appeal. Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, 27, will only be freed if the court overturns its apostasy verdict, Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said this week in a statement published by Suna, the state-run news agency. It said an undersecretary at the ministry cited by media as saying Ibrahim would be freed within days was quoted out of context. The case has prompted an outcry from countries including the U.K. and U.S. and rights groups such as Amnesty International. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said yesterday that the U.S. government has “engaged” with Wani since June 2013 and throughout his wife’s trial. Ibrahim and Wani’s two children may qualify for U.S. citizenship, subject to regulations including DNA testing to establish their biological relationship, she said at a press briefing yesterday in Washington.
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ACHPR receives complaint against Sudan on apostasy case
(Sudan Tribune) Five NGO’s lodged a complaint with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) against the Sudanese government over the case of Meriam Yehya Ibrahim who was sentenced to death over an apostasy charge. The case is currently undergoing appeal and the sentence cannot be carried out until at least after two years later since she is a breastfeeding mother.REDRESS is joined by the African Centre of Justice and Peace Studies (ACJS), the Sudanese Organisation for Development and Rehabilitation (SODR), the Sudanese Human Rights Initiative (SHRI) and the Justice Center for Advocacy and Legal Consultancy (JCALC).
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Al Bashir Resumes Functions, Chairs Economic Reform Meeting
(Sudan Vision) President Omer Hassan Al Bashir, chaired yesterday a meeting of the higher committee tasked to follow up on the economic reform measures in presence of the First Vice President Lt. Gen. Bakri Hassan Saleh, Vice President Hassabo Mohamed Abdul Rahman and several economic sector ministers. The meeting discussed ongoing preparations for the agricultural season and financial performance particularly the recent developments, said Badreldin Mahmoud, Minister of Finance and National Economy.
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Sudan Warns Against Imposition of New Solutions in Abyei
(Sudan Vision) Sudan has called for the establishment of administrative and security mechanisms in Abyei, warning that any attempt to seek other solutions will be catastrophic for the disputed area. On 29 May, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) until 15 October 2014 and urged Khartoum and Juba to implement the signed agreements between the two countries over Abyei.Speaking before the fifteen member body, the deputy head of Sudan mission at the United Nations commanded the Council’s decision and said that his government is hopeful that Juba exerts the needed efforts to establish the interim administration, the legislative and joint police force.
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