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| January 16, 2009 |
Sudan opposition leader in solitary confinement
KHARTOUM, Jan 16 (Reuters) - An influential Sudanese opposition leader is being held in solitary confinement after calling on the president to hand himself in to the International Criminal Court, family members said on Friday.Hassan al-Turabi was arrested on Wednesday, days after urging President Omar al-Bashir to surrender to the Hague-based global court, whose judges are considering whether to indict him on charges of orchestrating war crimes in Darfur.
Family members said they had not managed to see or speak to Turabi, 76, and were increasingly worried about his health.
"He is in solitary confinement...We are very concerned about his health. He had to be hospitalised five times the last time he was imprisoned and that was three years ago," said Siddig al-Turabi, his son.
Tension has been growing in Sudan since the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in July asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for President Bashir, their first against a sitting head of state. The judges are widely expected to announce their decision in coming weeks.
Turabi, a key player in Sudan for decades, was the first party leader to break ranks by saying the president should surrender himself to save Sudan from sanctions and political turmoil that would follow if he continued to defy the court.
There have been signs of a crackdown in Sudan on people seen as supporting the International Criminal Court.