Sudan releases Islamist opposition leader Turabi

Sudanese authorities late on Wednesday released Islamist opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi one and a half months after arresting him and closing his party’s mouthpiece newspaper.

Surrounded by journalists and supporters in his house after he was set free, Turabi said the release was as groundless as the arrest.

“There was no legality or procedure that was followed,” he told Reuters Wednesday.

Turabi, leader of the Popular Congress Party, was arrested mid-May when security officers took him from his home. A few hours later, the authorities closed his party’s newspaper Rai al-Shaab (view of the people) and arrested its Editor-in-chief Abuzerr Ali al-Amin from his house. Amin was later charged with terrorism and espionage.

Two other journalists from the paper, Ashraf Abdel Aziz and Dahab Ibrahim, were also arrested. Aziz and Ibrahim appeared in court afterwards but the judge banned reporting on the case.

The arrests stirred the indignation of the opposition and party members staged protests demanding the release of Turabi, chanting anti-government slogans, and calling for bringing down the regime of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

There was no legality or procedure that was followed

Hassan al-Turabi

Turabi versus Bashir

Turabi, 78, was close to President Bashir as a mentor till they broke up in 1999, then he formed Sudan's main opposition party.

Since then, Turabi was arrested several times and was last detained in January 2009 after he urged Bashir to turn himself in to the International Criminal Court.

The relationship between Bashir and Turbai was further strained when the latter denounced April’s national elections as fraudulent and vowed that his party would never join any future government.

According to Turabi, saying that the ballots were rigged was the main reason behind his arrest.

“They thought it was a bad example for someone to exercise their freedom. It would encourage others," he said.

Turabi’s party fielded a candidate, Abdallah Deng Nial, in the elections to stand against Bashir.

According to Sudanese authorities, Turabi was arrested because he was suspected of leading rebel attacks in the war-torn Darfur.

They also said that the content of the party’s mouthpiece newspaper was bound to destabilize the security of the country. The paper reportedly contained statements accusing the president of rigging the votes in presidential elections as well as a story about Iran developing weapons in a Sudanese factory.

A security source told the state-run Suna News Agency that Bashir ordered the release of Turabi on the day that marked the 21st anniversary of the president’s coming to power in a coup that was, in fact, backed by Turabi.

They thought it was a bad example for someone to exercise their freedom. It would encourage others

Hassan al-Turabi