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 To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez
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VZCZCXRO4026
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDU RUEHKUK RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #1738/01 3371503
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 021503Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2447
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 001738
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, S/E WILLIAMSON, AF/SPG, DRL
NSC FOR PITTMAN AND HUDSON
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2018
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PHUM PREL UN AU SU
SUBJECT: FREED HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST DESCRIBES 'GHOST
HOUSE' DETENTION
REF: KHARTOUM 1280
Classified By: CDA Alberto M. Fernandez, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
¶1. (SBU) Summary: On December 1 human rights activist Osman
Hummida (protect) described to CDA Fernandez the four days of
grueling interrogation, physical abuse and psychological
torture that he was subjected to at the hands of the National
Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). From November 24
through November 27, Hummida was shuttled between a 1990s era
ghosthouse facility and Khobar prison and interrogated by
NISS officials, who accused him of supplying incriminating
documents to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Hummida
steadfastly denied their accusations, asserting that his only
connection with the ICC was through his work as a human
rights activist in Uganda relating to atrocities committed by
the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) as part of the Juba Peace
Process. During his time in custody, NISS authorities
subjected him to various forms of physical and psychological
abuse, as well as denying him his medications. He also
witnessed his colleague being brutally beaten by NISS
officials. Hummida eventually orchestrated the release of
himself and his colleagues by agreeing to hand over
unspecified information held at the Khartoum Center for Human
Rights and Environmental Development (KCHRED). Upon his
release, Hummida had a cordial two hour exit interview with
NISS chief Salah Ghosh, who stated that the leaking of
information to the ICC was the most serious crime committed
in Sudan since the NCP regime came to power. He then
requested Hummida's cooperation in identifying the
perpetrators. End Summary.
¶2. (SBU) On December 1 CDA Fernandez met with Osman Hummida,
a human rights activist and British citizen released from the
custody of NISS on November 27. Hummida told CDA Fernandez
that prior to his detention in Khartoum, he was working in
Uganda as part of an investigative mission related to the
ICC,s indictment of Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord,s
Resistance Army (LRA). In this capacity he had flown to Juba
to meet with GOSS VP Riek Machar on November 21 and after
spending two days there, continued on to Khartoum on November
23, where he met with political officers at the British
Embassy to discuss human rights issues. (Note: Hummida
formerly worked at the London-based Sudan Organization
Against Torture (SOAT). End Note.) On November 24, he and
his colleague Moniem El Gak met with officials at the
Khartoum Center for Human Rights and Environmental
Development (KCHRED), including its Chairman Amir Suleiman.
Within minutes of leaving the facility, Hummida stated that
he received a call from KCHRED staff informing him that two
representatives from the "political section" of NISS entered
the facility and began asking questions about him and El Gak.
Soon after, Hummida said they were approached by the NISS
representatives and escorted to a NISS facility in Bahri,
North of Khartoum. KCHRED Chairman Amir Suleiman was also
detained, he said. Upon arriving at the facility in Bahri,
Hummida said he was told that someone would come speak to him
in ten minutes time, "but ten minutes turned into four days,"
he said.
¶4. (SBU) Hummida stated NISS officials proceeded to question
him about his activities in Khartoum. While the discussion
started out amicably, it soon became hostile when the
interrogators brought up the subject of the International
Criminal Court (ICC). Turning their attention to his prior
affiliation with SOAT, the interrogators accused Hummida of
failing to turn over certain documents to SOAT,s new board
of directors and accused him of passing documents to the ICC.
(Note: Some human rights activists have asserted that SOAT
has fallen victim to GOS and NISS interference (Reftel) End
Note.) "I explained to them that I left SOAT over two years
ago, a full year before the new board took over," he said,
adding that his tenure there preceded the ICC investigation
leading to the indictment of President Bashir on July 14. The
interrogators also grilled him about an old SOAT examination
of human rights abuses involving Presidential Advisor Dr.
Nafie Ali Nafie dating back to 1998. "I told them I had
nothing to do with the Nafie case," he said.
"THE OASIS"
-----------
¶5. (SBU) Hummida stated that he was then transported to "Al
Waha" (translation: the oasis) a 1990s era ghosthouse near
KHARTOUM 00001738 002 OF 003
NISS headquarters where political prisoners disappeared to
outside the realm of the legal system. The house was full of
shackles, ropes and iron bars, he said. He was then subjected
to various forms of psychological torture, including a "silly
exercise" in which he was repeatedly ordered to sit down,
only to receive contradictory order to stand up, as well as
orders to undress and redress. He was then fitted with a
heavy blindfold and walked through a shallow pool of water
known as "the well," noting that "when you're blindfolded in
that condition, it's quite a terrifying experience."
KHOBAR PRISON
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¶6. (SBU) After an exhausting night of intimidation, Hummida
was taken to Khobar prison, where over the course of his
detention he would spend a few hours each night following 20
hour sessions at Al Waha. "I was at Khobar in the early
1990s," he remarked. "And it was a lot nicer back then." No
longer are inmates allowed televisions, radios or even books
(except for the Qur'an), he said, and exercise was no longer
permitted. "Unless you need medical treatment, you will never
leave your cell," he said. Upon arriving at Khobar, Hummida
was taken to the prison's Eastern wing, which he described as
being in appalling condition, though he later found out that
as a "third class" prisoner he was actually in the prison's
most livable quarters. The most squalid areas were occupied
by "first class" prisoners comprised of over thirty persons
from Darfur still held in conjunction with the JEM attacks on
Omdurman in May 2008, he said, while "second class" prisoners
were comprised of civilian political detainees. Third class,
where Hummida was held, consisted of those detained for
financial crimes, he said.
¶7. (SBU) As for the "third class" financial prisoners,
Hummida stated that 37 businessmen were being held at Khobar
for failure to repay loans to Sudanese financial
institutions, including the Bank of Khartoum, Baraka Bank
and Omdurman National Bank. (Note: Embassy Khartoum has
received numerous other reports over the last several months
of the detention of up to forty businessmen, some of them
from prominent families, who took large business loans and
failed to pay them back. End note.) Detainees included two
Jordanian citizens, brothers Omar and Khalid Mahmoud, as well
as Hassan Khider Dimocrati, a businessman from a wealthy
family in Wad Madani. The latter had been held for 70 days,
said Hummida, though other detainees had arrived as little as
12 days before. Hummida said that businessmen told him that
their release was contingent upon their lenders informing
NISS that arrangements had been made for their loans to be
paid back in full, he said.
DENIED MEDICATION
-----------------
¶8. (SBU) During the course of his detention, Hummida stated
that he was denied his medication for high blood pressure and
following repeated complaints of headache and dizziness, he
was finally taken to Al Amal Hospital in Khartoum. Al Amal is
run by the NISS and is "complimentary to its practice of
torture by keeping injuries of the victims concealed," he
said. He noted that upon checking in, NISS officials
presented him as "Ali Osman Hamid." When he protested that
this was not his name, the doctor became curious and was soon
replaced by a another, less inquisitive physician. NISS
officials continued to interrogate him even as he received
medical treatment, he said, reading his charts to see if he
was well enough for more rounds of abuse.
¶9. (SBU) Upon returning to Al Waha, Hummida was told that his
colleague Moniem El Gak had been beaten severely, and he
subsequently witnessed additional beatings. "They hit him
hard in the testicles and he vomited and collapsed," he said.
"While he was on the floor, one of them kicked him hard in
the face, and blood spurted out. I think he still has a hole
in his cheek." Hummida stated that he himself was then hit
in the legs with what appeared to be a ####l baton, but upon
being struck he realized it was actually made of hard rubber.
NISS officials threatened Hummida that they would soon beat
up KCHRED Chairman Amir Suleiman as they had done to El Gak,
at which point Hummida said he'd cooperate if it would secure
his colleagues, release. El Gak and Suleiman were released
following the handing over of unspecified materials from
KCHRED to NISS, he said. (Note: Moniem El Gak has been
KHARTOUM 00001738 003 OF 003
smuggled south to Juba with the assistance of the SPLM. End
Note.)
EXIT INTERVIEW WITH THE BOSS
----------------------------
¶10. (SBU) A few hours before his release, Hummida stated that
he was taken to the hospital for treatment (this time not in
shackles), and given the chance to shower, shave and put on
clean clothing for the first time since being detained.
Before he was set free however, he was brought to the office
of NISS Chief Salah Ghosh for a one on one meeting lasting
approximately two hours. During that time, Hummida reiterated
that his connection to the ICC related to its indictment of
Joseph Kony and not Omar Al Bashir. "It's possible we got
that wrong," said Ghosh. "But we didn't bring you here by
coincidence. We've followed your movements very closely for
the past two years and know you have strong links to the
court." Ghosh characterized the ICC issue as "the most
serious challenge this country has faced since we came to
power," noting that it was even more serious than JEM's
attack on Omdurman and other rebel attacks. He then asked
Hummida to cooperate with NISS and help identify those who
may have provided the ICC with information used by Ocampo to
indict President Bashir. "You are the only person who can
help us with this," he said, adding that while he didn't
expect an answer immediately, he would be in touch in the
future. Ghosh also asked him if he had been mistreated under
NISS custody, but Hummida chose not elaborate on his
treatment. "It's his organization and his people, what can I
possibly say?" he said.
POST-RELEASE
------------
¶11. (C) Since being released, Hummida told CDA Fernandez that
he plans to file a defamation case against pro-regime
Al-Rayaam newspaper for falsely reporting that he would be
charged with espionage. He also planned to file a criminal
case against his interrogators, several of whom he, his
colleagues and KCHRED staff were able to identify. The most
brutal and nasty of them was an individual named Siras
Sayeed, who also works for Sudan Radio. The senior
investigator, who played to role of "good cop", is named
Ismail Sati, he said. Another was named Hassan and grew up in
Atbara, he said, though he did not know his last name. Those
who carried out the beating of his colleague were extremely
large men "possibly from the Nuba Mountains," he said.
¶12. (C) Hummida said he has sought to publicize his detention
through meetings with various stakeholders, noting that the
SPLM has been "very helpful" facilitating transport to Juba.
"I requested meetings with the DUP and the Communist party,
because their silence on this is not helping, he said. He
also met with representatives of the Dutch Embassy, who were
exploring additional funding for KCHRED, which has been
severely weakened by the incident. Hummida requested that USG
explore coordination with other donors in this matter, and
requested that CDA Fernandez bring this case up privately
with senior NCP leaders and demand an investigation. "People
need to put pressure on NISS," he said.
COMMENT
-------
¶13. (C) The regime's audacity in briefly detaining and
torturing well-known human rights activists with the supposed
goal of identifying those who collaborated with the
ICC--nearly five months after the announcement about
President Bashir--shows the true, brutal face of the Khartoum
regime. It reeks of desperation but also attempts to send a
message to the NGO and civil society community that similar
actions can be expected if the regime feels cornered. Post
will press NCP officials and demand a clarification of this
unlawful detention and abuse. Post will also liaise with
other western Embassies to explore options to assist KCHRED
and other human rights organizations damaged by the incident,
as these organizations carry out critical human rights
advocacy work in Sudan.
FERNANDEZ
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| العنوان |
الكاتب |
Date |
| To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-20-13, 03:57 AM |
 Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-20-13, 04:17 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-20-13, 04:26 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-20-13, 04:43 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-20-13, 04:45 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-20-13, 04:52 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-20-13, 05:33 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-20-13, 06:37 AM |
 Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | Dr Salah Al Bander | 02-20-13, 11:11 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-20-13, 11:47 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-20-13, 04:22 PM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-21-13, 00:48 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-22-13, 02:34 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-22-13, 04:21 PM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | ياسر احمد محمود | 02-22-13, 10:52 PM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-23-13, 03:16 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-24-13, 01:35 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | بريمة محمد | 02-24-13, 02:03 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-24-13, 04:04 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 02-24-13, 04:07 AM |
| Re: To Mr Alberto M. Fernandez | د.نجاة محمود | 03-19-13, 05:20 AM |
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