Rights group says 9 Christians detained, abused in Sudan

CAIRO – A human rights group is calling on the Sudanese government to investigate reports of torture and abuse of nine Christians, including a priest, it says were detained by state security forces and charged with apostasy.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies says in a statement Tuesday that Sudan’s feared National Intelligence and Security Services detained the Christians on Oct. 13 in the Nyala, South Darfur region and forced those who had converted to revert to Islam.

It said Sudan’s constitution and international treaties it signed allow freedom of religion.

The country has undergone Islamization in recent decades under President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide charges linked to the conflict in Darfur dating back to 2003.