The military junta in Sudan has come under strong criticism from western capitals over alleged human rights violations meted out on political figures who took part in anti-coup activism in the protest-prone country in recent weeks.
In a statement on Friday, the Troika nations (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States), Canada, Switzerland, and the European Union say they are alarmed by the February 9 arrests and detentions of several high-profile political figures.
“These troubling actions are part of a recent pattern of arrests and detentions of civil society activists, journalists, and humanitarian workers occurring throughout Sudan these last weeks. We condemn this harassment and intimidation on the part of Sudan’s military authorities. This is wholly inconsistent with their stated commitment to participate constructively in a facilitated process to resolve Sudan’s political crisis to return to a democratic transition” the statement says.
The Troika call for an immediate cessation of abuses of political prisoners and those being detained over their activism aimed at returning Sudan to constitutional rule.
They called on the military authorities to respect their obligations to safeguarding the human rights and guarantee the safety of those detained or arrested and the need to ensure that due process is consistently followed in all cases.
The lifting of the state of emergency in force since last October when the military led by Abdelfattah al-Burhan seized power, would send a positive signal, the Troika say.
WN/as/APA