ICC Note: Sudan represents one of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom. In the context of an ongoing crackdown against Christians in the East African nation, Sudanese intelligence authorities have arrested three indigenous pastors in the past six months, have leveled church buildings and have attacked Christian congregants, all while the government continues to bomb the Nuba Mountains, a region containing a Christian majority.

3/17/16 Sudan (AllAfrica) – Since the National Islamic Front took power by military coup in 1989, Sudan has witnessed a significant clampdown on religious freedom, the Sudan Democracy First Group (SDFG) says in a new publication on 14 March. The group warns that this policy is creating space for the growth of radical extremist groups.

The SDFG points in its report to a number of incidents that confirm the ongoing suppression of religious freedom in the country.

The most recent incident occurred in the early morning of 18 December last year, when members of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) detained Pastor Hassan Abdelrahim Kodi (49), Secretary-General of the Sudanese Church of Christ, and Pastor Telal Ngosi (44) at their homes in Khartoum.

They were taken to an unknown destination. Their families have been prevented from visiting them and access to lawyers and legal aid has been denied. To date, no charges have been brought against them.

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