Information the situation of family members of political opponents who are detained is limited among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, in connection with the 21 February 2001 arrest of Hassan Abdullah al-Turabi, the leader of the opposition Popular National Congress Party (PNC) (Africa Research Bulletin 29 March 200, 14311; Africa Confidential 23 Feb. 2001, 8; IRIN 24 Feb. 2001), Associated Press articles stated that Sudanese authorities had detained Turabi's brother, a PNC member as he was delivering a sermon (AP 4 Mar. 2001) and more than 70 PNC activists (AP 20 Mar. 2001; ibid. 4 Mar. 2001; ibid. 3 Mar. 2001). The Sudanese police also briefly detained the wife of jailed opposition leader Hassan Turabi, who was picked up together with four other supporters during a scuffle at the Khartoum University mosque (AP 30 Mar. 2001).

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Africa Confidential [London]. 23 February 2001. Vol. 42, No 4. "Sudan: Back to Goal."

Africa Research Bulletin. 29 March 2001. Vol. 38, No 2. "Sudan" Al-Turabi Arrested."

Associated Press (AP). 30 March 2001. "Sudanese Police Detain, then Release, Wife of Jailed Opposition Leader. (NEXIS)

_____. 20 March 2001. "Sudan's El-Bashir Says Jailed Opposition Leader Will Face Criminal Charges." (NEXIS)

_____. 4 March 2001. "Family of Jailed Sudan's Opposition Leader Complains of no News about Captive." (NEXIS)

_____. 3 March 2001. "Sudan Arrests Brother of Jailed Islamic Ideologue." (NEXIS)

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN). 24 February 2001. "Sudan Speaker Turabi Arrested." (AN/NEXIS).

Additional Sources Consulted

No response to a 14 September 2001 letter sent to the Sudan Human Rights Group (SHRG) e-mail address has been received yet.

Joined in Washington on 14 September 2001, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) representative in charge of Sudan stated that she has no current information on any forms of pressure exerted by the Sudanese authorities to family members of political opponents who are detained.

Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent 1990-2001.

Indian Ocean Newsletter 1999-2001.

IRB Databases.

Keesing's Record of World Events 1999-2001.

LEXIS/NEXIS.

Resource Centre country file. Sudan. 1999-2001.

Web sites, including:

AllAfrica.com.

Amnesty International.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Cairo Times.

Human Rights Watch.

MISNA.

Sudan News Agency.

Sudan.net.