Emad had already been arrested by the NISS and detained for several months in 2012, in reprisal for his political affiliations and his human rights activism. During that time, he had been repeatedly tortured, a fact that he had reported but that had never led to any judicial investigation against the perpetrators, echoing the impunity with which the NISS practice torture and ill-treatment across the country.

His family says that two days before he was arrested again on 14 December 2015, Emad met one of the NISS officers who tortured him in 2012, who threatened to arrest him. As he was leaving the Umma National Party headquarters in Omdurman − Sudan's largest city, lying on the western banks of the River Nile, opposite Khartoum − three men dressed in civilian clothes stepped out of a car parked in front of the building, and forced him into it before driving away for an unknown destination. Later that day, Emad's relatives were called by an NISS officer to inform them that he had been arrested and that was currently detained in the NISS facility in North Khartoum, a fact that was confirmed by Emad's brief phone call to his brother. Emad has now been detained incommunicado for nearly a month.

"Every day that passes with Emad in detention increases our concern and fears about his condition. The harsh treatment, torture, and violence used against detainees by NISS members is historically well-known," declared his family.

Particularly worried over his fate, his family tried to visit him but the NISS did not allow it and even threatened Emad's brother with arrest on 16 December if they were to mediatise his case or try to visit him again. The lawyers they appointed were given the same response from the NISS when they came to visit him.

"Emad's case is illustrative of the NISS practices in Sudan," explained Rachid Mesli, Alkarama Legal Director. "They can arrest anyone, for any reason and for however long they want and subject them to torture or ill-treatment without fear of being prosecuted after or even interrogated over the victim's allegations. It is urgent that he be released."

To remedy to his situation, Alkarama and the ACS sent an urgent appeal to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture (SRT) to ask the Sudanese authorities to release Emad Al Sadig Ismail Hamdoun or, at the very least, to guarantee his physical and mental health. Alkarama calls upon the authorities to ratify the Convention against Torture (UNCAT) and to repeal all laws providing immunity to NISS officers for human rights violations performed in the course of their duty, as well as to effectively investigate all reports of torture and punish their perpetrators.

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