4 political prisoners released in Sudan

Deputy Head of Sudan’s Popular Congress Party (PCP), Ibrahim al-Senousi, has told Arabstoday that Sudanese authorities have released four political prisoners with close links to opposition leader Hassan el-Turabi. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Senousi explained that the quartet had been jailed ten years ago for plotting a coup against the Sudanese government. He added that the individuals were handed 15-year prison terms, but have been released after 11 years, as part of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's presidential decision to release all the political prisoners in Sudan. However, Senousi claimed that the authorities had not released all of the prisoners, citing the example of Yousif Layees, a PCP-supporting military official currently behind bars. The Sudanese politician argued that the government's policy of mass political arrests was against the law, and urged the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) government to provide people with social and political freedoms. He also demanded the release of all of the political prisoners in Sudan's war-torn South Kordofan state. Arabstoday understands that the Sudanese government intends to release military personnel who have been accused of attempting to overthrow the ruling regime. On Wednesday, Sudanese army spokesman al-Sawarmy Khalid Saad said that the military officers had lost their right to appeal against the charges, and had submitted a request calling on the president to pardon them.