Turabi imprisonment term expires according to 'emergency law'; Khartoum: detainees file to be closed shortly
Sudan, Politics, 8/15/2003

According to the Sudanese emergency law, the term of detention of the Islamic leader Hassan al-Turabi expired yesterday, while the Sudanese minister of justice Ali Othman Yassin announced that the Sudanese authorities decided to release the political detainees during the few coming days.

In what was considered new steps to enhance political freedom, the Sudanese daily al-Anbaa said that President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Tuesday issued a decree in which he lifts censorship imposed by the security authorities on the newspapers. This was after he had issued a decree for releasing 32 political detainees.

The paper quoted the Sudanese minister of Justice Ali Othman Yassin as saying that "decrees will be issued within days to release all political detainees with the aim to close the file of preventive detention in Sudan." It is not known whether Hassan al-Turabi, the leader of the People's Congress party, will be among those who will be governed by the release decision, noting that yesterday was the last day for Turabi s imprisonment according to the emergency law.

The defense council for Turabi which includes lawyers of various trends announced that "detaining Sheikh Hassan al-Turabi was of a political intention because no legal justification was given during his detention period." The lawyers explained that detaining Turabi has changed his legal status on August 15, 2002 at an order by President Bashir to that he is jailed for one renewed year, according to the emergency law. The lawyers also expressed their hope that the authorities "will show reason, and release him."

The official in the party Muhammad Elamine Khaleifa said that the calls to release the detainees will not be conducive to releasing Turabi because the government believes that when the government releases "other politicians and political parties will rally around him and cause problems." While peace negotiations are continuous in Kenya, leader of the southern Sudan rebels John Garang is in a visit to Cairo, where he had met several Sudanese opposition members including Muhammad Othman al-Meirghani. Garang is also holding talks with senior Egyptian officials.

Moreover, the Sudanese peace issue will be on top of the topics to be discussed by Kenya's foreign minister during his visit today to Cairo.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco sends humanitarian assistance to flood-stricken Sudan   (8/13/2003)
  New talks between Sudanese government and rebels; al-Khartou: no backing away from peace   (8/12/2003)
  Al-Ahram: On the wake of the Sudanese negotiations, Bashir suspects Garang's intention   (8/11/2003)

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