Excessive use of force and arbitrary arrest and detention

The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Sudan.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), a member of the SOS-Torture network, of the excessive use of force by Sudanese security forces in Farraig village, Halfa Municipality in Northern Sudan against civilians on 13 June 2007 and the arrest and detention of several individuals, among them journalists and lawyers, on 13 June 2007 and 14 June 2007 in Dongola and Khartoum.

According to the information received, on 13 June 2007 four persons were killed and nine other civilians were injured by the police and security forces in the Farraig village during a peaceful demonstration against the building of the Kajabar Dam in the area.

According to the information, the four civilians who were killed are:

1. Mr. Shaik Aldin Haj Ahmed (m), 25 years old, Farmer
2. Mr. Mohamed Fagir Diab (m), 21 years old, High School student at Farraig
3. Mr. Alsadig Salim (m), 40 years old, Farmer
4. Mr. Almoiz Mohamed Abdelrahim(m), 21 years old

The injured persons are:

1. Mr. Sid Ahmed Osman Nori(m), Miskaila village
2. Mr. Khairi Osman Ismail, Miskaila village
3. Mr. Farag Abdelrahim Farag (m), Fad East Village
4. Mr. Hamid Hamad Hamid (m), Kajabar
5. Mr. Mursi Sid Ahmed (m), Kajabar
6. Mr. Mohamed Mustafa (m), Jeddi village
7. Mr. Osman Ibrahim(m), Farraig village
8. Mr. Abdelrazig Yaqoub (m), Miskaila village
9. Mr. Alfadil Mohamed Fagiri (m), Kajabar

The injured civilians were reportedly admitted later to Dongola hospital for medical treatment.

Following this event, the security and intelligence forces in Dongola reportedly arrested and detained four journalists namely, Mr. Alfatih Abdullah (Al-Sudani daily), Mr. Qazafi Abdulmotalab (Al-Ayam daily), Mr. Abuobaida Awad (Rai-Alshaab daily) and Mr. Abulgasim Farahna (Alwan daily) and three lawyers namely Mr. Imad Mirghani Sid-Ahmed, Mr. Alam Eldin Abdelgayoum and Mr. Ali Abdelgayoum, on the late evening of 13 June 2007 at around 23:00, while they were passing by Dongola on their way to Kajabar dam area.

According to the information received, the above seven traveled from Khartoum, in a private car, to Kajabar area, but were detained by the security in Dongola. They reportedly spent the whole night in a security office. In the morning they were interrogated again on the reason of their coming traveling to Kajabar. The journalists and the lawyers were forced to switch off their mobiles. They are reportedly currently still in detention.

According to the same information, on 14 June 2007, the security forces in Khartoum detained a further five people, in connection with the same incident of Kajabar dam demonstrations. The Nubians in Khartoum were having a protest demonstration against the killing of their people in Northern Sudan. Security forces reportedly raided the house of a Nubian family, at mid-night on 14 June 2007, searching for a Nubian activist who had spoken on the same day to the BBC radio on the issue of Kajabar killings. He was not there at the time they raided the house but they reportedly arrested five persons present in the house. They detained them and took them into a security house at St. 57 Amarat – Khartoum, where they were subjected to interrogation and investigation on their relation to the Nubian Movement and the Anti- Kajabar Dam Committee.

Among the five detainees was reportedly SOAT’s lawyers network member Mr. Yasir Mohamed Salih (42 years old- lawyer) who happened to be in the house that night. Mr. Yasir Mohamed Salih and other two detainees, namely Mr. Abdulkareem Makki Abdulkareem, a 22 years old student and Mr. Faisal Abdulrahman Nasr, a 48 years old private sector employee, were released on 15 June 2007 at 6:00 am. Two others persons remain detained namely Mr. Ahmed Rumrum, a 40 years old lawyer and Mr. Raafat Hasan Abass, a 40 years old private sector employee.

The International Secretariat of OMCT expresses its deep concern regarding the excessive use of force by the Sudanese security officers during the demonstration in Farraig which lead to the death of four individuals and injured nine others. Moreover, OMCT expresses its concern with regard to the arbitrary arrests and detention occurred in Dongola and Khartoum following the events.

Requested Action

Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:

1. Guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the remaining detained individuals;
2. Order their immediate release in the absence of valid legal charges, and if such charges exist, ensure that they are given a prompt and fair trial, in which their procedural rights are guaranteed at all times;
3. Order a thorough and impartial investigation into these events, notably in the excessive use of force by security officers in Farraig, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
4. Guarantee that adequate compensation is awarded to the victims and their families;
5. Ensure the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.

Addresses

• His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, Presidential Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 183 783 223
• His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, First Vice-President, People’s Palace, PO Box 281 , Khartoum , Sudan , Fax: + 249 11 779977 / 771025
• His Excellency Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Vice-President, People’s Palace, PO Box 281 , Khartoum , Sudan , Fax: + 249 183 77 10 25
• Mr Mohamed Ali Al-Mardi, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum , Sudan ; Fax: + 249 183 78 07 96
• Mr Lam Akol Ajawin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs/External Relations, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 249 183 77 93 83
• Mr. Al Zubeir Beshir Taha, Minister of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Interior, PO Box 873 , Khartoum , Sudan , Fax: +249 183 77 93 83
• Dr Yasir Sid Ahmed, Head of the Advisory Council for Human Rights PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 183 770 883
• Dr Abdelmuneim Osman Mohamed Taha, Advisory Council for Human Rights, Rapporteur, PO Box 302 , Khartoum , Sudan , Fax: +249 183 77 08 83
• Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sudan to the United Nations in Geneva, Avenue Blanc 47, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, Tel: +41 22 731 26 63, Fax: +41 22 731 26 56, Email: mission.sudan@bluewin.ch / mission.sudan@ties.itu.int
• The Embassy of Sudan in Brussels , 124; 1050 Brussels . Tel.:0032 (2) 647 51 59 / 0032 (2) 647 94 94, Fax: 0032 (2) 648 34 99, Email: sudanbx@yahoo.com

Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.

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Geneva, 20 June 2007

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.