Dr. Muntaser Ibrahim, was arrested on February 21, 2019 for allegedly criticizing his government. He has been detained ever since following two arrests in January for participating peacefully in demonstrations. On the other two occasions he was quickly released, but this time he has been confined for several months. CCS has written the President of Sudan requesting his release.
Postscript Note: On April 10, 2019 there was a change of administrations in the Sudan. Through newspaper accounts, it is our understanding that many prisoners of conscience will be released. CCS is confident that Dr. Ibrahim will be one of them.
President
Office of the President
People’s Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Your Excellency:
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.
We write to express our concern for our colleague Muntaser Ibrahim, an important and internationally respected geneticist who has been imprisoned for allegedly criticizing your government. He was arrested on February 21 and has been detained ever since. This follows two arrests in January for participating peacefully in demonstrations, but on both occasions, he was soon released.
We are concerned, not only that Professor Ibrahim has been arrested for exercising his fundamental right to freely express his political views, but also because he has a heart condition that requires significant care. He is one of Sudan’s most distinguished scholars, having been a founding member of the Sudanese National Academy of Sciences, and is currently Head of the University of Khartoum’s Institute of Endemic Diseases.
Reportedly, Professor Ibrahim was arrested as he and hundreds of his colleagues at the University of Khartoum were preparing to provide your government with a list of suggestions for national reform. We believe that he is being held in incommunicado detention at the Security Forces’ Political Detention Center in Bahri, Khartoum.
We urge you to respect the human rights of our fellow scholar Muntaser Ibrahim. Unless he is to be charged with a recognizable criminal offense, he should be released immediately and unconditionally. Freedom of expression is a basic human right, that your government, as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, is obligated to respect.
We also urge you to see to it that Professor Ibrahim receives the medical attention that he needs while in custody.
We thank you for your attention to this most important matter and look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
cc:
Ambassador
Embassy of the Republic of Sudan
2210 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 202 338 8565
Fax: 202 667 2406
Email: info@sudanembassy.org, or sudanembassyus@gmail.com