Lawyer providing legal assistance to survivors of gender-based violence and political activists facing state prosecution.
A lawyer detained for over a year on espionage and terrorism charges after he agreed to represent members of a political coalition facing state accusations.HuMENA Editorial
Montaser Abdullah is a Sudanese lawyer who represented survivors of gender-based violence and defended members of the Tagadom political coalition. He was arrested, held in harsh conditions, and tried on terrorism and espionage charges after taking on politically sensitive cases.
Montaser Abdullah is a Sudanese lawyer who has focused much of his practice on representing survivors of gender-based violence, providing legal assistance in cases that often receive little attention or support within Sudan's legal system. His work placed him within a small community of lawyers willing to take on sensitive and politically charged cases during a period of intense conflict and repression.
In 2024, Abdullah became the legal representative for seventeen members of the Tagadom Coordination Committee, a political coalition that includes former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok among its leadership. The National Committee for Investigating Crimes and Violations of National Laws and International Humanitarian Law had brought accusations against these individuals. By agreeing to represent them, Abdullah took on a case with clear political dimensions at a time when the military authorities were tightening control over dissent.
Following his decision to represent the Tagadom members, Abdullah came under sustained surveillance by state security forces. The monitoring of his movements and communications continued for several months. On 5 September 2024, authorities detained him briefly. Two days later, on 7 September, security forces arrested him formally.
During his arrest, authorities compelled Abdullah to waive the legal immunity granted to him as a practicing lawyer under Sudanese law. This immunity is intended to protect lawyers from arbitrary detention and interference in their professional duties. The forced waiver removed a key legal protection and signaled the nature of the proceedings that would follow.
Abdullah was held in a small cell shared with other detainees, in conditions described by sources as deplorable. He was denied access to basic sanitation facilities and reportedly subjected to repeated beatings during his detention. According to accounts received by human rights organizations, authorities forced him to remain unclothed for extended periods, a form of treatment intended to degrade and humiliate.
These conditions persisted throughout the period of his pretrial detention. He remained in custody from September 2024 until his release in October 2025, a period exceeding one year.
On 3 October 2024, Abdullah was brought before the Criminal Court in Port Sudan and formally charged under Article 53 of the 1991 Sudanese Criminal Code, which addresses espionage. He denied the charges and refused to confess, despite what sources describe as coercion applied by the authorities during his detention.
The case did not proceed to trial until April 2025. On 21 April, the first court session took place. By that stage, the charges against Abdullah had expanded significantly. Military authorities brought additional charges under Articles 53 and 85 of the Sudanese Criminal Act of 1991, Articles 9, 17, 24, 26, and 27 of the Cybercrimes Act, and Articles 5 and 6 of the Anti-Terrorism law. The combined charges carried a minimum sentence of twenty years in prison, with the death penalty as the maximum possible sentence.
On 20 October 2025, the Criminal Court in Port Sudan issued its verdict. The court acquitted Abdullah of all charges under the Sudanese Criminal Act 1991 and the Anti-Terrorism law, including the allegations of espionage, undermining the constitutional order, and waging war against the state. However, the court convicted him under the Cybercrimes Act and sentenced him to one year and four months in prison, along with a fine of one million Sudanese pounds, approximately 1,427 euros.
The court ruled that the time Abdullah had already spent in detention—from 7 September 2024 to 20 October 2025—satisfied the sentence imposed. Following payment of the fine, he was released on the afternoon of 20 October 2025.
Abdullah's case occurred within a broader pattern of repression targeting lawyers and human rights defenders in Sudan since the outbreak of armed conflict in April 2023. Both the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces have been implicated in arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, and killings of legal professionals.
The targeting of lawyers undermines the rule of law and removes a critical layer of protection for those facing politically motivated prosecution. Abdullah's forced waiver of legal immunity, his prolonged detention, and the initial charges carrying the death penalty reflect the risks faced by legal professionals who represent individuals or groups viewed as politically sensitive by military authorities.
This case file was compiled by HuMENA's Sudan research team from primary documentation, public filings, family-supplied legal documents, and confidential partner reporting. Editorial responsibility rests with the HuMENA Editorial Board. Where dates or facts are uncertain, the record errs on the side of the source material and notes uncertainty in the live archive at humena.org.
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