Sudan thinks seriously of releasing al-Turabi

News reports in Khartoum unveiled that the Sudanese government is seriously thinking of releasing Hassan al-Turabi, the leader of the opposition People's Congress party who was arrested in 2001 following his party's signature of a controversial agreement with the southern rebel movement led by John Garang.

The sources which asked not to be identified said that a mediation has been made by several old guard Islamists in the government's party and the People's Congress party held discussions with the leaderships of the two parties resulted in convincing several key figures in the government to release al-Turabi and the sources expected al-Turabi's release to be in the mid of this month, to mark the first anniversary of his imprisonment.

However, information have been greatly contradictory on Thursday to this effect. At the time when al-Turabi's elder son Saddiq al-Turabi denied attempts to release his father, saying that all what have been said about releasing al-Turabi is not true. He added that his father will be 70 on Friday, February 2nd, and that his family composed of his wife, sons and daughters were permitted by the authorities to visit him today ( Friday), adding that family's visits to al-Turabi have been made without harassment by al-Turabi's guards.