06-03-2025
Statement by Yasir Arman on his arrest by INTERPOL
Yasir Arman
Yesterday, March 5, 2025, I was stopped at Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi around 1pm. I was taken to the Kenyan INTERPOL Headquarters on a red flag that I am wanted by Port Sudan authorities on many unfounded charges. I told the INTERPOL authorities that my case is purely political. I was in contact with some Kenyan officials and friends and I was allowed to go to a hotel around 9pm. I was asked to report back to INTERPOL when I was notified, and they took my documents. This morning, I received telephone calls from Kenyan officials in the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I also received a call from Kenyan INTERPOL and they returned my documents to me.
Ironically, all the accusations leveled against me are tailored to suit the guys in Port Sudan. Furthermore, justice for the people of Sudan should start with the arrests of General Omar Bashir and his colleagues who are wanted by the ICC. Instead, the names of pro-democracy forces are on the INTERPOL list. We will work to have them removed so that others do not have a similar experience.
If what happened to me is meant by the authorities in Port Sudan to deter us from advocating for peace, democracy and the end of all forms of marginalization, then they have failed. I am more committed than any time before to the cause of a just peace, equal citizenship, democracy and non-racialism.
Both parties to this ugly war against the Sudanese people need to stop immediately. They must accept the will of the people who are looking for bread and basic necessities, peace, democracy, equal citizenship, and good relations with our neighbors and the international community.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my family, friends, colleagues in the pro-democracy and anti-war movement, those in the media and on social media, and our friends in the region and from the international community. Special thanks to our friends in Kenya, who exerted the necessary effort to sort out this case, and to all those from inside Sudan, the region and the international community who stand in solidarity with the pro-democracy and civilian forces.
