The Sudanese Alliance for Rights strongly condemns the brutal torture and extrajudicial killing of Bakri Abdalla Abbakar Abuh, who died in the custody of the General Intelligence Service (GIS) on 25 June 2025 in the Al-Haj Yousif area, Khartoum State.
Bakri was arrested from his home in Block 6 of the Al-Wohda neighbourhood on 24 June 2025 and taken to the Cultural Complex at Souq Sitta—an unofficial facility repurposed by local security forces into a detention centre. Within hours of his arrest, he was tortured to death. His family has not received a medical report or any official explanation from the authorities.
We emphasise that Bakri was a peaceful activist, unaffiliated with any party to the ongoing conflict. He had returned from Egypt, where he had taken refuge shortly after the war began. He was known for his civic leadership as a member of the Change and Services Committee in his neighbourhood and his visible role in the December Revolution that led to the overthrow of Omar Al-Bashir. His political activism and commitment to civilian rule made him a target of repression.
This killing is part of a disturbing pattern. Since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023, human rights organisations have documented hundreds of cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and extrajudicial execution across Sudan. Victims are often taken from their homes, held incommunicado in unofficial detention sites, and subjected to abuse without legal recourse.
The detention, torture, and killing of Bakri Abdalla Abbakar Abuh constitute gross violations of several international human rights and humanitarian law instruments to which Sudan is bound, including:
- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) – Article 6 (right to life), Article 7 (prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment), and Article 9 (right to liberty and security of person).
- The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) – which prohibits torture in all circumstances and obliges states to investigate and prosecute such acts.
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) – especially Articles 3, 5, and 9.
- Customary international humanitarian law, which protects civilians and prohibits violence to life and person, in both international and non-international armed conflicts.
The use of unofficial detention centres and the failure to provide due process, legal representation, or family access also contravenes Sudan’s obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
We call for:
- An immediate, independent, and transparent investigation into the arrest, detention, torture, and death of Bakri Abdalla Abbakar Abuh.
- The public identification and prosecution of all those involved in this gross violation.
- The closure of all unofficial detention centres operating under military or intelligence control.
- International attention and pressure on the Sudanese authorities to halt the escalating campaign of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and killings of civilians.
- Support and protection for civil society actors and community leaders, who are being targeted for their peaceful resistance and organising efforts.
Bakri’s death is not an isolated incident—it is a chilling reflection of the brutality that countless Sudanese are facing. His life, dedicated to dignity and democracy, was taken with impunity. We stand in solidarity with his family, community, and all Sudanese civilians resisting oppression.
Sudanese Alliance for Rights
27 June 2025
