E/CN.4/1991/17 page 53 162. On 6 July 1990 the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal to the Government of Sudan concerning Sadiq Al-Shami, Omar Muhajir Muhammadine, Abd Al-Muttaleb, Shams Eddine and Mohamed Diya Eddine, members of the Socialist Arab Baath Party in Sudan, who were arrested around 23 May 1990 in Khartoum. They are reportedly currently held incommunicado, without charge, at a secret detention centre near the Army's headquarters. Sadiq Al-Shami had been detained in the past on two occasions, from August to November 1989, and again in December 1989. During the second period he was allegedly severely tortured at a secret detention centre in Khartoum. Fears have been expressed that the five above—mentioned persons may be subjected to torture or ill-treatment. 163. On 26 July 1990 the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal to the Government of Sudan referring to his cable dated 6 July 1990 concerning five members of the Socialist Arab Baath Party in Sudan who were reportedly arrested around 23 May 1990 in Khartoum. The Special Rapporteur has been informed of the complete names of the third and fourth of these persons, which were reported as Abd Al-Muttaleb Mohamed Osmane and Shams Eddine Abdallah Khalil, respectively. In addition to the aforementioned, the names of 14 more members of the same party were reported as being among a group of 46 persons who were arrested since 23 June 1990 in Khartoum and Atbara, in Northern Sudan. Their names were reported as follows: Dr. Mohamed Hassan Pasha, Mohamed Hassan Khalid, Ahmed Abdel Nabi, Salah Mukhtar Ai-Khatib, Majdi Abdelmajid, Adel Khalafaliah, Mohamed Hamad, Yahya Mohamed Al-Hussein, Ibrahim Mohamed Saleh, Babiker Moussa, Mohamed Ali Daoud, Al-Fatah Al-Mardi, Al-Tijani Hussein and Mohamed Haji. It was alleged that all the members of the group, including the above-mentioned, were being held incommunicado, without charge, at unofficial detention centres in Khartoum, and fears have been expressed that they may be subjected to torture or ill-treatment. 164. On 19 September 1990 the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal to the Government of Sudan concerning Mokhtar Abdallah, a trade union activist, Abdelaziz Mohamed Salmane, a businessman aged 46, and Mohamed Omar Al-Mirghani, a retired senior civil servant in his sixties. It was reported that Mr. Abdallah was arrested in late August 1990 and that Mr. Salmane and Mr. Al-Mirghani were arrested on 4 September 1990 by members of the security services. All three are said to be held incommunicado in a secret detention centre in Khartoum, without having been charged with any offence, and fears were expressed that they may be in danger of being tortured or ill-treated. 165. On 12 November 1990 the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal to the Government of Sudan concerning Professor Moneim Attia, a scientist aged 48, who was arrested on 13 January 1990. It was alleged that he was severely tortured while in detention in a safe house, from the day of his arrest until 6 February 1990. He was then transferred to the Shallah prison, near El Fasher, where he is still being held, reportedly without charge or trial. It was further alleged that conditions in the Shallah Prison, which is located in the desert, are extremely harsh; the quantity of food and water insufficient and the quality, when available, very poor. Professor Attia reportedly went on an unlimited hunger strike on 1 October 1990 to protest his detention conditions, and fears have been expressed that his health and even his life, may be in danger.