Other Former Speaker of the National Assembly Sudan
Hassan is an Islamist political Leader of Sudan and has been referred to as a "Longtime hard-line ideological Leader". In 1996, he was elected to the National Assembly where he later became speaker. That period saw the decline of Turabi's influence along with his political party, the National Islamic Front.

Al-Turabi was born in the province of kassala, in eastern Sudan near the border with Eritrea, around 1932. His father was a judge and expert on sharia law. The Former Prime Minister of Sudan, is his brother-in-law. He attended Khartoum University from 1951-1955, graduating with a B.A. degree.

Following his graduation, he became a member of an offshoot of the Sudanese branch of the Islamic Brotherhood - The Islamic Charter Front.
He rose in ranks in the organization and later became secretary General In !964.
When Gaafar Nimeiry assumed power by a coup in 1969, members of the front were arrested and Turabi was Detained for six years and spent three years in exile in Libya.

In 1977, the regime reconciled with other political movements and allowed for the release from custody and the return of those in exile, including Al Turabi.
In 1989, a coup d'etat by General Omar Al Bashir, assisted by Al Turabi and his supporters, led to a severe repression including the execution of the top ranks of the army and other stern political measures

Turabi later broke ranks with Al Bashir and was twice imprisoned and released on allegations of conspiracy. Al Turabi has been accused of been associated with the Darfur rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which carried out a daring attack on the capital Khatoum on May 10, following which, Al Turabi was arrested and later released without charge.