Professor IBRAHIM AHMED GHANDOUR, Staff member of a higher education institution, has been issued an open preventive detention order by the Prosecutor General Office. He has been detained since the end of June 2020, without charge or trial in the Security Police Centre, near the Armed Forces Mosque, Khartoum city.

International scholars are campaigning for the release of their colleague and friend, Prof Ghandour (68 years), who was arrested from his home in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, by the security forces on the evening of Monday 29th of June 2020. He has been detained without any charges being brought against him. Since then Prof Ghandour has been held in custody under a preventive detention order which does not allow release on bail in a clear contravention of his constitutional, civil rights, and in direct violation of international law.

Prof Ghandour has been a prominent scholar for more than 40 years in the field of medical education, health service, and as a consultant to the World Health Organization. Moreover, as head of the Worker’s Trade Union Federation (SWTUF), a national leader in his capacity as community activist, presidential assistant, and Foreign Minister (2015-2018) he is widely recognized for his defence of national interest and call for the stability of the Sudan. He is well known for his initiatives for comprehensive peace, a vocal advocate for reconciliation and social justice for many years.

It is a violation of international rights to imprison a person without any accusations or indictments. We are urging the international scholars community who believe in the rule of law and Prof Ghandour’s basic rights to demand either to be charged or demand for his immediate release. Indeed, too many other individuals are facing the same situation of preventive detention without clear reasons or justification.

We invite all scholars concerned about human rights and the enforcement of the universal and civil rights to take immediate action and support our appeal. At the same time we are urging international human rights organizations to issue an Urgent Call for Action, asking its support network to write an appeal to the Sudanese authorities demanding the immediate and unconditional release of any detainees of conscience without charges. We are gravely concerned that a systematic use of preventive detention against citizens violates international human rights law; its use as such result in an arbitrary way, and if prolonged or repeated can amount to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.

We urge the international community to demand the authorities to:
• disclose the whereabouts of all arrested and detained National Congress Party and the Islamic Movement members, and charge them with a recognizable criminal offence in line with Sudan’s obligations under international law, or immediately and unconditionally release them;
• Prof Ghandour to be secured and have unrestricted access to his family, and confidential access to his legal Counsel;
• respect the rights of these detainees, ensuring that they have access to lawyers of their choice, family visits and medical treatment;
• they must not be subjected to any harsh measures, torture and other ill-treatment while in detention;
• refrain from politically-motivated surveillance measures against any academic personnel.

The arbitrary detention of Prof Ghandour is a serious violation of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), as well as the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Yet, given the risks of COVID-19 pandemic and the poor conditions of the detention centre, we are appealing to all national and international human rights organizations around the globe to show solidarity with us to counter these clear violations of human rights and freedom. We would like to emphasize their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

We issued this appeal as concerned scholars who believe in the political and human values on which the international principles is founded. Prof Ghandour detained because of his peaceful exercise of fundamental human rights belonging to all people, especially freedom of expression. He was denied his rights to voice and advocate his views about the governance institution or system at the time of critical transitional period.