Sudan: Opposition member alleges torture in Sudan prison: Radwan Daoud
Radwan Daoud alleges that he has been subjected to torture while in the custody of the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) in Khartoum. He made the allegation when his family was first allowed to visit him on 30 December 2017. He was arrested on 6 December 2017 and is yet to be charged. He has been denied access to a lawyer. Radwan Daoud is a dual national of the US and Sudan.
UA: 2/18 Index: AFR 54/7685/2018 Date: 18 January 2018
URGENT ACTION
OPPOSITION MEMBER ALLEGES TORTURE IN SUDAN PRISON
Radwan Daoud alleges that he has been subjected to torture while in the custody of the
Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) in Khartoum. He made the
allegation when his family was first allowed to visit him on 30 December 2017. He was
arrested on 6 December 2017 and is yet to be charged. He has been denied access to a
lawyer. Radwan Daoud is a dual national of the US and Sudan.
Radwan Daoud, who is a dual national of the US and Sudan, is a member and peaceful activist of the opposition
Sudanese Congress Party. On 30 December 2017, when his family was allowed to visit him for the first time since
his arrest, Radwan Daoud claimed that he had been subjected to severe beating during his detention.
The Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) arrested 34-year-old Radwan Daoud on 6
December 2017 in the eastern district of Al-Greif in Khartoum North, Sudan. Radwan Daoud resides in Oregon
State and was on a visit to Sudan. His arrest is believed to be in connection with videos he shared publicly on his
Facebook account to bring attention to the police’s use of excessive force against protestors in the eastern district
of Al-Greif. There has been tension between police and residents of the district protesting against a land dispute.
Radwan Daoud is currently detained at the NISS detention centre in Kober Prison and has not been charged yet.
He had initially been denied visits by his family for three weeks, but they have since been allowed to visit him. He
has still not been allowed access to a lawyer.
Amnesty International considers Radwan Daoud to be a prisoner of conscience held solely for peacefully
exercising his right to freedom of expression.
Please write immediately in Arabic, English or your own language:
Urging the Sudanese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Radwan Daoud and abandon
any criminal proceedings against him, as he is being held solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of
expression;
Urging them to immediately initiate an impartial, independent and effective investigation into allegations of
torture made by Radwan Daoud and ensure that he is not subjected to further torture or other ill-treatment;
Calling on them to ensure that Radwan Daoud is granted regular access to his family, a lawyer of his
choice and an independent court.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE TO 1 MARCH 2018:
President
HE Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir
Office of the President
People’s Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister for Justice
Idris Ibrahim Jameel
Ministry of Justice
PO Box 302
Al Nil Avenue
Khartoum, Sudan
Salutation: Your Excellency
And copies to
Minister for Interior
Hamed al-Mannan
Ministry of Interior
PO Box 873
Khartoum, Sudan
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
URGENT ACTION
OPPOSITION MEMBER ALLEGES TORTURE IN SUDAN PRISON
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This is the second time that Radwan Daoud has been arrested. He was arrested on 19 July 2012, after the Sudanese
authorities launched a campaign of arbitrary arrests targeting dozens of human rights defenders, activists and opposition
members, in the context of mass protests calling for regime change, peace and justice. Radwan Daoud was part of the youth
group ‘Girifna’, a pro-democracy group of university students founded in 2009. After the arrest, Radwan Daoud remained in
detention for about 40 days and was charged with five offences, but a court acquitted him.
The NISS maintains broad powers of arrest and detention under the National Security Act 2010 (NSA), which allows the NISS to
detain suspects for up to four-and-a-half months without judicial review. NISS officials often use these powers to arbitrarily
arrest and detain individuals, many of whom are then subjected to torture or other ill-treatment. Under the same Act, NISS
agents are provided with protection from prosecution for any act committed in the course of their work, which has resulted in a
pervasive culture of impunity. The amendment to Article 151 of the interim constitution passed on 5 January 2015 that
expanded the mandate of the NISS has exacerbated the situation. The amendment transformed the NISS from an intelligence
agency focused on information gathering, analysis and advice, to a fully-fledged security agency with a broad mandate to
exercise a mix of functions usually carried out by the armed forces or law enforcement agencies. It gave the NISS unlimited
discretion to decide what constitutes a political, economic or social threat and how to respond to such threats. Neither the NSA
nor the revised Article 151 explicitly or implicitly require the NISS to abide by relevant international, regional and domestic law in
the operation of its duties.
Name: Radwan Daoud
Gender m/f: m
UA: 2/18 Index: AFR 54/7685/2018 Date: 18 January 2018