US Senators Call On Trump To Expel Top Sudanese Diplomat - Letter

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2018) President Donald Trump should immediately expel Sudan's Charges D'Affaires in Washington Mohammed Atta al-Moula and impose sanctions on him over his role in the African country's powerful intelligence service, Senators Patrick Leahy and Bob Menendez said in a letter published on Friday.

"Allowing Mr. Atta to serve as a diplomat in the United States is an affront to our values and our national interests. We urge you to address this situation immediately," the Senators wrote in their letter to Trump.

As the former head of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), Atta took part in serious human rights violations, including the 2013 killing of up to 185 protesters in Khartoum, the senators said.

"We urge you to immediately withdraw Mr. Atta's US visa, require his departure from the United States, and make a determination as to whether Mr. Atta is subject to sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act," the lawmakers said.

The senators also pointed out that the NISS oversees Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, which have been accused by international human rights groups of grave abuses including torture, extrajudicial killings and mass rapes.