The Sudan Armed Forces have detained and tortured at least seven Christians due to their religion, race, and ethnicity

Image: Jihad Watch

JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – On January 14, intelligence agents from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) detained and tortured at least seven Christians in Shendi, located about 150 kilometers (93 miles) northeast of Khartoum, sources reported.

The Christians, members of the Sudanese Church of Christ, had fled the fighting in Khartoum and sought refuge in areas controlled by the SAF. However, upon reaching Shendi in the River Nile state, they were apprehended by Military Intelligence (MI) agents, according to the Sudanese Christian Youth Union.

MI agents accused the Christians of supporting the opposing paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and of receiving stolen money, claims the Christians denied. The youth union insisted that these accusations were fabricated as a pretext for their arrest, and an attorney handling the case revealed that the authorities subjected them to torture to force confessions.

Attorney Shinbago Mugaddam, who is following the case from abroad as a refugee, said that the seven young Christians were denied legal representation, tortured, and brought to a fraudulent trial on the day of their arrest.

“They were detained by army intelligence, beaten, and interrogated,” Mugaddam told Morning Star News. “A case was filed against them, with the complainant and witnesses all being members of the armed forces. The court did not inquire whether they needed legal counsel or had witnesses to dispute the allegations, fully aware that they had been beaten and coerced into confessing and providing self-incriminating evidence.”

The accusers and witnesses were all MI agents, who forced the Christians to plead guilty under duress, he added.

“These youths were tried under Article 174 of the Sudanese Criminal Code of 1994 for theft in a summary trial at the Shendi Court, River Nile state, where the conditions for a fair trial were not upheld,” Mugaddam said.

The Union of Sudanese Christian Youth condemned the arrests, calling for the immediate release of the detained individuals. They denounced the arrests as violations of human and religious rights in Sudan, urging rights groups and regional and international organizations to intervene and protect those incarcerated without evidence.

“We in the Sudanese Christian Youth Union strongly condemn these violations, which are based on religion, color, and ethnicity,” read a statement issued on Tuesday (January 21).

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)