Al-Turabi family have fears over his life

Wisal al-Mahdi, wife of the Sudanese Islamists opposition member Hassan al-Turabi stressed the deteriorated health conditions of her husband, who is detained since he had started a hunger strike (with the exception of eating dates and waters) together with other 73 detainees by the end of June.

She explained that al-Turabi ( 72 year old) who is detained since April had lost his consciousness several times in recent days because of his low pressure and the low amounts of sugar and salt in his body. She said that doctors at the hospital treat him by injections.

Al-Mahdi- who is the sister of the former Sudanese prime minister and chairman of the opposition nation party al-Sadeq al-Mahdi said that a rat bit her husband and she is very concerned that he will get infected as a result. She described conditions of his imprisonment as horrible.

Al-Turabi called for transferring him to hospital in order to receive appropriate medical treatment. His family also proposed several times to visit him in prison but all the requests were rejected, according to his wife who expressed her concern over depriving his family from seeing him since 17 days.

Wisal al-Mahdi deplored that her husband's name was not among the other 12 detainees who were released recently because of their deteriorated health conditions. Turabi -- a former alley for President al-Bashir -- was detained in 2001 after he had signed a controversial agreement with the rebels of the people's army for the liberation of Sudan. He was released in October 2003 and three months before he was detained over accusations of provoking tribal sectarianism in Darfur to the west part of Sudan.