Sudan has called for the arrest of the head of global rights watchdog Amnesty International, accusing it of spreading lies that several men accused of plotting a coup were tortured, state media reported. Amnesty said in a report last week that eight men arrested on accusations of trying to overthrow the government had been beaten, suspended by their wrists and tortured in Khartoum’s Kobar prison. The government has denied reports of torture. The state-controlled Sudanese Media Centre reported that the Sudanese Justice Ministry had asked Interpol for an arrest warrant for the female “manager” of Amnesty. Other local media interpreted that to mean Amnesty Secretary-General Irene Khan.
Justice Minister Mohammed Ali al-Mardi told Reuters his ministry was taking legal action against Amnesty. But he declined to go into details of specific charges or defendants. “They are accused of influencing the course of justice and (spreading) untruthful information about the accused in this alleged coup. I cannot say any more,” he added.