E/CN.4/1996/35/Add.1 page 122 Urgent appeals transmitted to the Government and replies received 644. The Special Rapporteur made 14 urgent appeals on behalf of the persons mentioned in the following paragraphs, to some of which the Government provided replies. The dates on which the appeals were transmitted appear in brackets at the end of the corresponding summaries. 645. Mohammed Abdelhamid, a student at Al-Nilein University and member of the Democratic Front, was reportedly arrested on 15 November 1994 and taken to an unknown location, possibly a secret detention centre in Khartoum. He was said to be in poor health (22 December 1994). 646. Mustafa Abdel Gadir, a lawyer and member of the Council of the banned Sudanese Bar Association, and Ali Mahamoud Hassanian, a lawyer and leader of the opposition Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), were reportedly ill-treated on 3 December 1993 at the offices of the Sudanese security forces, having been ordered to report there the previous day during a search of their houses. During interrogation they were allegedly forced to stand against the wall for several hours with their hands up. They were said to have been released, but then detained again on 5 December (9 January 1995). 647. On 4 April 1995 the Government replied that neither Mustafa Abdel Gadir nor Ali Mahamoud Hassanian had been arrested by security agents. They were leading their normal life and practising their professions. 648. Tobias Atede, a non-governmental organization (NGO) relief coordinator, Louis Gore, a town planner, Christopher Gore, former Commissioner of Juba, Richard Roman, a civil servant, Luke Subek, an agriculturalist, and Dr. Venusto, a civil servant, were among 14 persons reportedly arrested in Juba on 5 and 6 December 1994. The five named civil servants were employed in the Equatorial State Ministries of Engineering (Town Planning), Agriculture and Housing. They were said to have been detained because of their reluctance to implement the distribution of land around Juba to northern Sudanese NGOs who are alleged to make conversion to Islam a condition for receiving relief. Their place of detention was unknown (19 January 1995). 649. Kamal Abualgasim was arrested in the morning of 28 February 1995 in Khartoum, allegedly for taking part in the annual family commemoration of the execution of 28 army officers in 1990. His family had not heard from him since his arrest and has been unable to obtain information about his place of detention or the charges brought against him (9 March 1995). 650. Sayed Sadig El-Mahadi, President of the Umma party, was reportedly arrested by the security authorities on 16 May 1995 and taken to a secret detention centre (26 May 1995). 651. On 23 June 1995 the Government replied that Sayed Sadig Elmahadi was under arrest in accordance with the National Security Law and was being treated according to the provisions of that law and not subjected to any torture or inhuman or degrading treatment. On 2 August 1995 the Government provided to the Special Rapporteur a copy of the National Security Law.