AI is concerned for the safety of Hashim Mohamed Zeyada, a doctor working for and Italian-based humanitarian organization in southern Sudan. He was seized, along with a visiting Italian colleague, by Sudan Government troops on 29 May 1995. There whereabouts of the two men remain unknown. The Italian Government is reported to be in communication with the Sudanese authorities to effect the release of the detained Italian. As a Sudanese national captured by government forces in an SPLA-controlled area, Hashim Mohamed Zeyada is in a vulnerable position. Suspected supporters of the SPLA in military custody have frequently been subjected to torture.
