Turabi's lawyers call for his release

Lawyers of the Islamic Sudanese opposition member Hassan al-Turabi yesterday called on the minister of Justice Ali Othman Ismael to release their client, but the latter replied that the decision is to be taken only by the President of the republic Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Lawyer Kamal Omar said that the minister received Turabi's lawyers who brought attention to that their client has been "detained illegally since Friday," the date of the end of his detention.

In statements, the deputy secretary general of the People's National Congress Muhammad Elamine Khaleifa said that Turabi does not constitute a danger on the government and it has to make use of his experience instead if jailing him. Elamine expressed his wonder over jailing Turabi because this lacks legal justification after he was detained for two and a half years, while justifications for detaining him not even logical then.

Khaleifa said that President al-Bashir last Saturday promised to release Turabi, adding that "there is a crisis of honoring one's promises in Khartoum.."

Turabi (71 years old) who was the master mind in the regime, helped President al-Bashir in taking over the authority during the coupe of 1989. However, in December 1999, Bashir decided to desolve the parliament which was headed by Turabi.

Bashir ordered the detention of Turabi in February 2001 after the People's National Congress made an agreement with the souther rebels Sudan.