Rights body upset over Sudan arrests

GENEVA: The UN human rights office expressed deep concern on Friday about the arrests of opposition figures and rights activists in Sudan.
“We’re deeply concerned about a pattern of detentions and prosecutions in Sudan in recent months that appear aimed at silencing political opposition and criticism of the policies of the ruling party,” spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
She also condemned the “worrying trend” of muzzling critics of the regime by prosecuting journalists, bloggers and even printers.
Sudanese security forces arrested politician Farouk Abu Issa and civil activist Amin Makki Madani last week after they joined an alliance aimed at uniting opposition to President Omar Al-Bashir’s regime. A third man, Fara Ibrahim Mohammad Alagar, was also believed to have been arrested after attending talks about the alliance in Addis Ababa.