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Sudanese Rights Group Condemns Release of ICC Fugitive

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A Sudanese human rights organization has condemned the release of General Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, a prominent figure of the former Bashir regime and a fugitive wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the move as “a shocking step.” Hussein was reportedly transferred to his home without any public legal proceedings or judicial announcement.

In a statement issued Thursday, the group Emergency Lawyers said the release "signals a dangerous continuation of political protection for former regime officials and a deliberate obstruction of justice." The statement also noted that several other accused individuals, after being released from Kober Prison, received medical treatment at the Military Medical Corps Hospital and have since moved freely without any protective measures or relocation to secure detention facilities.

Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein is one of the main defendants in the ongoing trial over the June 30, 1989 coup, alongside 27 other senior officials from the ousted regime, including Omar al-Bashir, Ali Osman Taha, Nafi Ali Nafi, and Ahmed Haroun. The trial began in 2020 but was suspended following the outbreak of war in April 2023—without any official announcement ending the proceedings—even as courts in several states continue to operate.

The organization pointed out the glaring double standard in Sudan’s legal system, where hundreds of civilians and activists remain detained across Khartoum and other states, facing vague charges such as espionage or collaboration with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). These individuals are being subjected to daily trials under conditions that, the group says, fall far short of legal and political fairness.

Hussein has been wanted by the ICC since March 2012 on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur during his tenure as Minister of the Interior and later as Minister of Defense. Human rights organizations argue that his release is a clear violation of Sudan’s international obligations and undermines efforts toward transitional justice.

Emergency Lawyers described the current legal approach as a form of “selective justice,” where perpetrators of coups and international crimes remain at large, while innocent civilians face politically motivated trials.

The statement also highlighted the case of Ahmed Haroun, another ICC fugitive, who remains free and was recently interviewed by Reuters in Port Sudan, despite earlier reports of his escape from Kober Prison at the onset of the war.

The group called for the immediate re-arrest of Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein and all other suspects in coup-related and human rights violation cases, the resumption of their trials, transparency over the circumstances of their release, and accountability for those obstructing justice.

It also demanded the release of individuals arbitrarily detained, an end to unfair trials, full judicial independence, and the surrender of all ICC-wanted individuals—steps deemed essential to achieving justice and delivering redress to victims.