Qatar- Sudan frees six student activists: lawyer
Date
6/22/2016 7:24:17 AM
Khartoum:Sudan''s powerful security service has released six student activists detained without charge since a wave of campus protests in the capital in May, their lawyer said on Tuesday.
The unrest saw hundreds of students at the University of Khartoum clash with security forces as they demonstrated against government policies and demanded the release of detained protesters.
Six student activists have been released in recent days but eight others are still being held by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), their lawyer Manal Khojli told AFP.
"Those released had not been charged," Khojli said.
Diplomatic sources close to the families of the detainees confirmed the release, and said that those still held could face charges.
Khojli said talks were under way to try to ensure that the released students can return to the university after they were suspended from classes following the protests.
The NISS has wide-ranging powers and in recent months has cracked down on students holding protests in universities.
In April, two students were killed while demonstrating.
Global rights groups had expressed concerns for the safety of the detained student activists.
The "well-documented use by the NISS of torture and other forms of ill-treatment against detainees gives rise to serious concerns for their safety," rights groups including the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) said after the activists were detained.
AFP