The trial of Reverend Hassan
Abduraheem, Reverend Kuwa Shamal, Mr Petr Jašek and Mr Abdulmonem Abdumawla
resumed in Sudan on 17 October after a three-week recess.
During the hearing, the prosecution
presented the case investigator as its first witness and questioned him on the
evidence allegedly found against the men. The legal team representing the men
have been concerned by what they see as unnecessary delays in the case, with
several postponements and adjournments in the trial so far. The next hearing is
scheduled for 24 October.
The men are charged jointly with at
least seven crimes, including waging war against the state (Article 51 of the
Sudanese Criminal Code) and espionage (Article 53), which carry the death
penalty as the maximum sentence.
The case against Reverend Abduraheem,
Mr Jašek and Mr Abdumawla, centres on the provision of finances for the medical
treatment of Mr Ali Omer, a young man from Darfur who was injured in a
demonstration in 2013. The prosecution alleges that the $5,000 Mr Jašek donated
towards Mr Omer’s treatment was in reality support for rebel movements in the
South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur regions.
By framing the case in this manner, the
National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) has attempted to exploit the
fact that Reverends Abduraheem and Shamal are originally from the Nuba
Mountains in South Kordofan and Mr Abdumawla is from Darfur. Reverend Shamal
was not involved in fundraising for Mr Omer’s treatment but appears to have
been included in the case due to his senior position in the Sudan Church of
Christ, his relationship with Reverend Abduraheem and his ethnicity.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s Chief Executive
Mervyn Thomas said, “We remain concerned by the unjust detention and trial of
Reverends Hassan Abduraheem and Kuwa Shamal, Mr Petr Jasek and Mr Abdulmonem
Abdumawla. The unwarranted delays in the trial, including the three week
adjournment, have resulted in the men being held in prison for longer than is
necessary. We urge the government of Sudan to drop the charges against them
without condition or delay. We also call for a review of NISS’s powers and for
the end to the targeting of religious and ethnic minorities in Sudan.”
Notes to Editors:
1. Click here to join in CSW's campaign on this case.