Opposition activist abducted in Egypt and forcibly returned to Sudan

A Sudanese opposition activist who had been living in Egypt was abducted and returned to Sudan in an operation coordinated by the security services of both countries.

Human Rights Watch says Sudanese authorities have confirmed they are holding activist Mohamed Boshi, who was taken in Cairo in October and held incommunicado before being charged last week with espionage and crimes against the state.

Five armed men believed to be Egyptian security agents searched his apartment in Cairo before he went missing, witnesses told HRW.

HRW's Jehanne Henry said on Thursday that "Egyptian and Sudanese authorities cooperated in forcibly disappearing and returning an asylum-seeker to Sudan, in clear violation of international norms and the prohibitions on enforced disappearances, persecution, and torture."

The New York-based group urged for Boshi's release.

Boshi faces the death penalty in his home country. Egypt and Sudan regularly cooperate against opposition figures in both countries.

The Sudanese political activist, formerly a member of the opposition Baath Party, was previously detained in Sudan in 2011 for several weeks after criticising presidential advisor Nafie Ali Nafie.

In 2013 he was detained for a month during a crackdown on protests. He was beaten and abused both times, according to HRW.

Boshi moved to Cairo in 2017 and sought protection from the United Nations refugee agency.