Slovenian peace activist jailed by Darfur government

Human rights groups have issued urgent appeals for the release of Slovene Tomo Kriznar, an award winning peace activist, who was jailed by Sudan this week on charges of "spying" in Darfur.

Mr Kriznar, who is an award-winning writer, film-maker and human rights campaigner, has been held since 20 July when he was handed over to Khartoum by African Union forces.

He had originally travelled to the Darfur region in February as special envoy for the Slovenian president, before returning four months later in a bid to persuade rebel factions to sign up to a peace deal.

Mr Kriznar believes that he was accused of spying because he had uncovered details about a cover-up of mass graves in Darfur.

He claims he was handed over to Sudanese security forces by African Union peace monitors who had negotiated his alleged safe passage from an area cut off by factional fighting among the rebels.

"This disproportionate sentence on Tomo Kriznar is the Sudanese Government's way to tell human rights activists and journalists to keep out of Darfur," says Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust.

"They think that if the crimes committed there are out of sight, they will also be out of mind.

They know that if they deter people from bringing evidence to the international community of the terrible atrocities being committed, then world leaders will be less inclined to protect the people of Darfur."At an a court hearing in Khartoum the Slovene admitted entering the country via the border area with Chad, without the correct visa.

According to the Sudanese news agency Suna, investigators said Mr Kriznar was taking pictures and shooting video material of villages around Darfur.

The imprisonment of the peace activist recalls thedetention last year of Paul Foreman, Country head of MSF, following its publication of a report on endemic rape in Darfur.

- INDEPENDENT