Sudan's 'brutal' war on dissent

The Sudanese government has been accused by human rights campaigners of running a brutal campaign of torture and intimidation against dissenting voices in the country. In a report released on Monday, entitled "Agents of Fear", Amnesty International said that Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) was responsible for an "extensive, multi-pronged assault" on the Sudanese people. "The Sudanese authorities are brutally silencing political opposition and human rights defenders in Sudan through violence and intimidation. NISS agents benefit from total impunity for the human rights violations they continue to commit," said Erwin van ber Borght, the organization's Africa program director. The report details the arrest of at least 34 people in the first half of 2010, including journalists, human rights activists and students. Researchers found that NISS agents perpetrated a range of human rights violations, including torture, arbitrary arrests and violent assault on opponents of the government of Omar al-Bashir, whose ruling National Congress Party won an election marred by claims of fraud in April.