368/09 Abdel Hadi, Ali Radi & Others v Republic of
Sudan
Summary of the Complaint
1. The Communication dated 19 January 2009, was submitted by Ali Agab of Khartoum Centre for Human
Rights and Environmental Development (KCHRED) of Sudan and the Redress Trust of London, the United
Kingdom (the Complainants), on behalf of Abdel Hadi Ali Radi, Omar Haroun, Abdelmagid Ali Adam
Haroun, Ali Daoud Adam Yahia, Mariam Abakar Ali Omar and 83 other individuals (the Victims). The
Complaint is brought against the Republic of Sudan (Respondent State).
2. The Victims are Sudanese nationals who fled from Southern Sudan, Darfur, due to the war in that region
and became Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). At the time of the incidents complained of, which took
place in May 2005, they lived in the Soba Aradi camp in the South East of Khartoum, which had a
population of around 10,000 persons.
3. The Complainants allege that on 18 May 2005, a team of police officers and soldiers entered the camp,
sealed off parts of it and tried to forcibly relocate several thousand resident families. The residents resisted
and violence broke out when the police tried to force them. In the resulting chaos and violence, 15 police
officers and at least 5 IDPs were killed, and the police station in Soba Aradi camp was set on fire.
4. It is further alleged that on 24 May 2005, a police force of over 6,000 officers returned to the camp and
made a large number of arrests, with additional arrests being made in the weeks that followed. It is not
known how many people were arrested and detained during that period.
5. The Complainants allege that on 24 May 2005, Abdel Hadi Ali Radi, Abdelmagid Ali Adam Haroun, Ali
Daoud Adam Yahia and Mariam Abakar Ali Omar were arrested and on 2 June 2005 Abdelrahaman Mattar
Omar Haroun was arrested. None of the victims were informed of the reason for their arrest and they were
held for more than 12 months without any charge, and were denied access to a lawyer, family members,
and to medical care. The Victims were unable to challenge the lawfulness of their detention, until the first
Court hearing which took place on 26 February 2006.
6. The Complainants allege that they went through various forms of physical torture during their detention.
They further allege that they were subjected to various forms of violations ranging from severe beating with
whips and sticks, doing the Arannabb Nut (rabbit jump), heavy beating with water hoses on all parts of their
bodies, death threats, kneeling with their feet facing backwards in order to be beaten on their feet and
asked to jump up immediately after; food deprivation for days and denial of medical care.
7. They claim that Mariam Abakar Ali Omar was beaten all over the body despite being pregnant at the time
(she gave birth in October 2005 in Omdurman Prison); Ali Daoud Adam Yahia suffered swelling in various
parts of his body as a result of the beatings, Abdel Hadi Ali Radi still suffers from pain in the eyes, back and
throat and has difficulties sitting down. They further allege that the beatings were so severe that one of the
detainees, the late Abdallah Dawelbeit, died as a result of being beaten with a hose filled with metal and
another is suffering from psychological trauma. The main objective of the police officers was to extract
confessions from the detainees and those who confessed were returned to their cells.
8. It is alleged that it was only on 26 February 2006 that a Court gave the lawyers permission to meet the
victims and on 9 March 2006, the Al-Azhari General Criminal Court ordered the immediate release of three
of the victims on the grounds that their names had not been entered in the case files. The Court held a
further three sessions in June and July 2006, in the course of which it ordered the release of the other
victims on the grounds of lack of evidence. Abdelrahman Mattar Omar Haroun was released on 20 July
2006, Abdel Hadi Ali Radi on 27 June 2006, and Abdelmagid Ali Adam Haroun, Ali Daoud Adam Yahia as
well as Mariam Abakar Ali Omar on 3 July 2006.
9. The Complainants thereafter, on 18 September 2006, submitted a Complaint alleging having been
subjected to torture, against the officers responsible for perpetrating the acts of torture complained of, in a
general meeting convened at the request of the General Police Manager and attended by some top police
officials.
10. In the Complaint, the Complainants requested the police to, among other things, commence
investigation on the alleged acts of torture, killing or ill treatment of the Victims, abuse of power and to take
necessary measures to ensure non-repetition.
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