Sudanese Christians and human rights groups are urging the government
to produce two clerics, whose location has been unknown since their
arrest in December.
Hassan Kodi, 49, secretary general of the Sudanese Church of Christ,
and another pastor, Telal Ngosi, 44, were detained after attending a
Christian conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in October.
The two represented the Sudanese Church of Christ at a meeting to discuss the plight of Christians in Sudan and South Sudan.
Both men are from the Nuba Mountains region of South Kordofan, a
province with many Christians who often face forced conversion by the
pro-Muslim Sudanese government.
The Human Rights and Development Organization, an independent Sudanese rights group, said the pastors’ whereabouts are unknown.
“Their families and church authorities were prevented from visiting
them. Both are at risk of torture,” the organization said in a
statement.
Lawyers have also been denied access to the two. Kodi is allegedly
suffering from a duodenal ulcer and there are fears the condition could
worsen following the detention.
The organization is appealing to the government to disclose the location of the two, charge them or release them.
The Sudan Council of Churches has also written to the government requesting access to the men.
The latest arrests draw attention to what analysts say is an attempt to erase Christianity from Sudan.
In June 2014, Meriam Ibrahim, a Christian doctor accused of apostasy
and sentenced to death, was released after international pressure. In
August, the Rev. Peter Reith and the Rev. Michael Yat were acquitted
after they previously faced possible death sentences.
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