Sudan: Charges Against Czech National Underpin Case Against Clergymen and Mr. Abdumawla

Sudan: Charges Against Czech National Underpin Case Against Clergymen and Mr. Abdumawla

Four innocent men are on trial as the result of an act of kindness

By Dan Wooding, Special to ASSIST News Service

KHARTOUM, SUDAN (ANS – September 17, 2016) – A UK human rights group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), has said it can confirm that Czech Christian Petr Jašek is being tried jointly with Reverend Hassan Abduraheem, Reverend Kuwa Shamal and Mr. Abdulmonem Abdumawla in Sudan.

Mr. Jašek is charged with the propagation of false news (Article 66 of the Sudanese Criminal Code). He is also accused, along with Reverend Hassan Abduraheem Reverend Kuwa Shamal and Mr. Abdulmonem Abdumawla, of 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.

“As with Reverend Abduraheem and Mr. Abdumawla, the case against Mr. Jašek centers 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. Mr. Jašek heard of Mr. Omer’s plight during an international conference for Christian leaders in November 2015,” said a SCW spokesperson.

“Reverend Abduraheem and Reverend Shamal were also attending the conference, where Reverend Abduraheem had been invited to speak about his work as a church leader in Sudan. During his presentation, Reverend Abduraheem showed a picture of Mr. Omer and mentioned that he had donated money towards his medical treatment. Mr. Jašek subsequently pledged to provide finances for Mr. Omer’s treatment.”

CSW went on to say that in December 2015, Mr. Jašek travelled to Khartoum and met Mr. Omer. The meeting was facilitated by Reverend Abduraheem and Mr Abdumawla, who is a friend of Mr. Omer’s and had been collecting finances for his medical treatment. Mr. Jašek donated $5,000 towards Mr. Omer’s medical treatment, which was signed for by Reverend Abduraheem and Mr. Abdumawla. As he was leaving Sudan, Mr. Jašek was searched at Khartoum Airport by NISS agents who found the receipt for $5,000, signed by Reverend Abduraheem and Mr. Abdumawla, and arrested him. They also confiscated personal belongings, including his mobile phone, laptop and camera.

Nine days after Mr Jašek’s arrest, Reverend Abduraheem, Reverend Shamal and Mr. Abdumawla were also arrested by NISS officers. While Mr. Jašek, Reverend Abduraheem and Mr. Abdumawla remained in NISS detention, Reverend Shamal was conditionally released until May 2016, when he was re-arrested and held in the Attorney General’s custody. Mr Jašek, Reverend Abduraheem and Mr. Abdumawla were also transferred to the Attorney General’s custody in May 2016. They were all charged in August 2016 and their trial is ongoing.

“The prosecution alleges that the $5,000 Mr Jašek donated to 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, 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,” stated the CSW spokesperson. “Reverend Shamal was not involved in fundraising for Mr. Omer’s medical 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, “The case against Reverend Hassan Abduraheem, Mr. Abdumawla, Reverend Kuwa Shamal and Mr. Petr Jašek is an example of NISS’s manipulation of the criminal justice system to harass ethnic and religious minorities. The evidence clearly shows that Reverend Abduraheem, Mr. Abdumawla and Mr. Jašek attempted to provide medical care for Mr. Omer.

“As a consequence of their acts of kindness, these men have been detained in terrible conditions and are now enduring an unjust trial. Reverend Kuwa Shamal, meanwhile, is being targeted simply because of his position as a senior church leader, his ethnicity and relationship to Reverend Abduraheem.

“We urge everyone who is as concerned as we are about this grave injustice to join us in campaigning to see these men set free. CSW urges the government of Sudan to drop the charges against these men without conditions or delay. We also call for a review of NISS’s powers and for the end of targeting religious and ethnic minorities in Sudan.”

Note: Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organization working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Senior Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 / +44 (0) 78 2332 9663, email kiri@csw.org.uk  or visit www.csw.org.uk.

Notes to Editors:

1. The charges against Petr Jašek, Reverend Hassan Abduraheem Reverend Kuwa Shamal and Mr. Abdulmonem Abdumawla include:

Waging war against the state (Article 51 of the Sudanese Criminal Code);

Espionage (Article 53);

Complicity to execute a criminal agreement (Article 21);

Entry and photography of military areas and equipment (Article 57);

Calling for opposition of the public authority by violence or criminal force (Article 63);

Exciting hatred between classes (Article 64);

Working for an NGO without the proper registration (Article 23 of the Sudan Voluntary Work Act);

Illegally crossing from Southern Sudan into Northern Sudan (Article 30 of the Immigration Act).

2. Click here to take action and join in CSW's campaign on this case http://www.csw.org.uk/setthemfree.

Photo captions: 1) Four innocent men are on trial as the result of an act of kindness. (CSW). 2) Dan and Norma Wooding.

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About the writer: Dan Wooding, 75, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for more than 53 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He is the author of some 45 books, and has been a full-time journalist since 1968. Dan has a weekly radio show and two TV shows in Southern California.

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