Sudan: Release of Mr. Osman Salih, Mr. Salih Mahmoud Osman, and Mr. Amjed Fareed.
URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
New information
SDN 002 / 0218 / OBS 017.3
Release
Sudan
April 17, 2018
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a
partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has
received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the
following situation in Sudan.
New information:
The Observatory has been informed by the African Center for Justice and
Peace Studies (ACJPS)about the release of Mr. Osman Salih,
lawyer, Mr. Salih Mahmoud Osman, Vice-Chairperson of the
Darfur Bar Association and Mr. Amjed Fareed, blogger and
human rights defender.
According to the information received, on April 10, 2018, Mr. Osman
Salih, Mr.Salih Mahmoud Osman, and Mr. Amjed Fareed were released from
prison.
Mr. Osman Salih, Mr.Salih Mahmoud Osman and Mr. Amjed Fareed had been
arrested by the National Intelligence Security Service (NISS) respectively
on January 10, February 1 and January 18, 2018 and further detained without
charges (see background information below).
The Observatory recalls that these arrests and detentions occurred in
reaction to nation-wide demonstrations that began on January 6, 2018 and
were set off by the announcement of Sudan’s 2018 budget and the
lifting of subsidies and measures, effectively tripling Sudan’s U.S.
dollar exchange rate and increasing the price of basic commodities. Sudanese
authorities have carried out a campaign of massive arbitrary arrests and
detentions, including political party leaders, journalists, students, human
rights defenders and other individuals for their involvement in the
protests
[1]. The police and
the NISS have used excessive force to disperse and arrest protesters,
including the reported use of tear gas and beatings with sticks and water
hose pipes
[2].
The Observatory welcomes the release of Mr. Osman Salih, Mr.Salih
Mahmoud Osman and Mr. Amjed Fareed but firmly condemns their detention which
was arbitrary and aimed at punishing their peaceful and legitimate human
rights activities.
The Observatory also calls upon the Sudanese authorities to order an
immediate, independent and impartial investigation into alleged acts of
ill-treatment against Ms. Amel Habani in order to bring all those
responsible before a competent tribunal in accordance with international
standards. More generally, the Observatory calls on the Sudanese authorities
to put an end to all forms of harassment, including at the judicial level,
against all human rights defenders in Sudan so that they are able to carry
out their work without hindrance or fear of reprisals.
Background information:
On January 10, 2018, Mr. Osman Salih had been arrested by the NISS
along with seven other individuals from the Alhuria Square in Al Obeid,
North Kordofan as they participated in a peaceful protest against the
increase in prices of basic commodities. Subsequently, Mr. Osman Salih was
brought to the NISS offices in Al Obeid together with the other individuals.
The NISS in Al Obeid carried out the arrest and took them to their
offices.
On January 15, 2018, the security committee of Al Obeid ordered that
Mr. Osman Salish would be detained under the emergency law for six months
and transferred from the NISS offices to Al Obeid prison. Two applications
for family visits were denied.
On January 16, 2018, Ms. Nahid Jabrallah and Ms. Amel Habani were
arrested in Khartoum as they were taking part in such peaceful protests.
Both were detained by the NISS at the Omdurman Women’s Prison, in
Khartoum. Moreover, Ms. Nahid Jabrallah was detained incommunicado since her
arrest despite her particularly fragile health situation as she was involved
in a car accident prior to her arrest.
Acts of ill-treatment against Ms. Amel Habani have been reported as she
was allegedly beaten with an electric rod during interrogation. On January
29, 2018, she was allowed a visit from her mother and her two children in
the presence of NISS agents but was denied a visit from her husband and did
not have access to her lawyer while detained. A constitutional appeal
contesting the lawfulness of her detention was filed on February 5, 2018 on
her behalf against the Government of Sudan and the NISS and is still pending
to date.
On January 17, 2018, Ms. Rawa Jaafar Bakhit and Mr. Mohamed Abdallah
Aldouma were arrested as they were taking part in other protests in
Omdurman. Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Aldouma was detained at Shalla prison, in
North Darfur, where he has been transferred on January 26.
On January 18, 2018, Mr. Amjed Fareed was arrested from his home in
Khartoum and further detained incommunicado within the NISS premises in
Khartoum.
On January 31, 2018, Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa was detained in Khartoum
Bahri at a police/NISS checkpoint in the main street targeting the people
heading to join a protest and was further detained incommunicado the
Omdurman Women’s Prison, in Khartoum.
On the same day, Mr. Ahmed Jadeen and Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim were
arrested in Khartoum Bahri while they were covering protests. Both
journalists had been monitoring and documenting cases of detainees in
connection with the protests. They were further detained at the NISS
political section in Khartoum Bahari.
On February 1, 2018, Mr. Salih Mahmoud Osman was arrested in his office
in Khartoum and detained incommunicado within the NISS premises in
Khartoum.
On February 12, 2018, Ms. Rawa Jaafar Bakhit was released from the
Omdurman Women’s Prison, in Khartoum where she had been detained
incommunicado since January 17, 2018.
On February 18, 2018, Ms. Nahid Jabrallah, Ms. Amel Habani and Ms.
Hanan Hassan Khalifa were released following a NISS press conference atKober
Prison in Khartoum Bahari, where they had been transferred earlier on the
same day for that occasion. All three were previously held at the Omdurman
Women’s Prison, in Khartoum where they had been detained by the NISS.
Ms. Nahid Jabrallah and Ms. Amel Habani had been arrested in Khartoum on
January 16, 2018 while they were taking part in peaceful protests. Ms. Hanan
Hassan Khalifa had been arrested on January 31, 2018, in Khartoum Bahri at a
police/NISS checkpoint in the main street targeting the people heading to
join a protest. Ms. Nahid Jabrallah and Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa were
detained incommunicado and acts of ill-treatment against Ms. Amel Habani had
been reported during her interrogation.
On February 19, 2018, Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Aldouma was released from
Kober Prison where he was transferred three hours before from Shalla prison,
North Darfur, after more than a month of arbitrary incommunicado
detention.
On February 25, 2018, Mr. Ahmed Jadeen was released.
On March 11, 2018, Mr. Osman Salih was transferred to the police
hospital in Al Obeid due to his deteriorating health conditions. His wife
was able to visit him although only in presence of a NISS official who kept
him under constant surveillance. It has been reported that Mr. Osman Salih
is diabetic and only had access to his medicine after three days in
detention.
Actions requested:
Please write to the authorities of Sudan asking them to:
-
Carry out an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into
alleged above-mentioned acts of ill-treatment against Ms. Amel Habani in
order to bring all those responsible before a competent tribunal in
accordance with international standards;
-
Put an end to all forms of harassment, including at the judicial
level, against all human rights defenders in Sudan so that they are able to
carry out their work without hindrance or fear of reprisals;
-
Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights
Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December
9, 1998, especially Articles 1, 6(c) and 12.2; and
-
More generally, ensure in all circumstances the respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments
ratified by Sudan.
Addresses:
· Dr Idris Ibrahim Jameel,
Minister of Justice, Fax: +24983791544/ +249183764168 / + 249183770883;
Email:
moj@moj.gov.sd
· Mr. Ibrahim Ahmed
Ghandour, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fax:+249183772941
· Gen. Dr. Hamid Manan
Mohamed, Minister of Interior, Fax: +249183779383 / 249183776554; Email:
ministry@mfa.gov.sd
· Advisory Council for
Human rights, Rapporteur, Fax: + 249183770883
· H.E. Mr. Mustafa Osman
Ismail Elamin, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sudan United
Nations in Geneva, Fax: +41227312656 / +41227161970; Email:
mission.sudan@bluewinch.ch
,
· Embassy of Sudan in
Brussels, Fax: +3226483499; Email: sudanbx@yahoo.com
Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Sudan in
your respective country.
***
Paris-Geneva, April 17, 2018
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this
appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the
Observatory) was created in 1997 by the World Organisation Against Torture
(OMCT) and the FIDH. The objective of this programme is to intervene to
prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders.
OMCT and FIDH are both members of
ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights
Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 22
809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29
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