Incommunicado detention of 8 human rights defenders, lawyer and journalists, and arbitrary detention of a journalist and human rights defender for participating in peaceful protests.

SDN 002 / 0218 / OBS 017

Incommunicado detention /

Ill-treatment /

Arbitrary detention

Sudan
February 8, 2018

TheObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDHand the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgentintervention in the following situation in Sudan.

Description of thesituation:

The Observatory has beeninformed by the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies(ACJPS) about the incommunicado detention of Ms. NahidJabrallah, Director of the Sima Centre for Training and Protection of Womenand Children’s Rights based in Khartoum, Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Aldouma, Chairperson of the Darfur BarAssociation, Mr. SalihMahmoud Osman, Vice-Chairperson ofthe Darfur Bar Association, Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa, human rights lawyer, Ms. RawaJaafar Bakhit, advocate for the rights of displaced families, Mr. Amjed Fareed, blogger and human rightsdefender, Mr. Ahmed Jadeen,journalist with Aljareeda newspaper,and Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim,freelance journalist, as well as of the arbitrary detention of Ms. AmelHabani, award-winningjournalist and Coordinator in the No Oppression Against Women Initiative inSudan. They are reportedly all detained in relation to their participation to nation-widepeaceful protests against rising commodity prices, which has resulted in thearrest of several human rights defenders and civil society leaders. Yet nocharges against them have been levelled to date.

According to theinformation received, on January 16, 2018, Ms. Nahid Jabrallah and Ms. AmelHabani were arrested in Khartoum as they were taking part in such peaceful protests.Both remain detained by the National Intelligence Security Service (NISS) atthe Omdurman Women’s Prison, in Khartoum. Moreover, Ms. Nahid Jabrallah hasbeen detained incommunicado since her arrest. It has further been reported thather health conditions are particularly delicate as she was involved in a caraccident prior to her arrest.

Acts of ill-treatment againstMs. Amel Habani have been reported as she was allegedly beaten with an electricrod during interrogation. On January 29, 2018, she was allowed a visit from hermother and her two children in the presence of NISS agents but was denied avisit from her husband and does not have access to her lawyer. A constitutionalappeal contesting the lawfulness of her detention was filed on February 5, 2018on her behalf against the Government of Sudan and the NISS.
On January 17, 2018, Ms.Rawa Jaafar Bakhit and Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Aldouma were arrested as they weretaking part in other protests in Omdurman. They remain detained incommunicado respectivelyat the Omdurman Women’s Prison, in Khartoum, and at Shalla prison, in NorthDarfur, where Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Aldouma was transferred on January 26.

On January 18, 2018, Mr.Amjed Fareed was arrested from his home in Khartoum and has since been detainedincommunicado within the NISS premises in Khartoum.

On January 31, 2018, Ms.Hanan Hassan Khalifa was detained in Khartoum Bahri at a police/NISS checkpointin the main street targeting the people heading to join a protest. She is stilldetained incommunicado the Omdurman Women’s Prison, in Khartoum.

On the same day, Mr. AhmedJadeen and Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim were arrested in Khartoum Bahri while theywere covering protests. Both journalists had been monitoring and documentingcases of detainees in connection with the protests. They are being detained atthe NISS political section in Khartoum Bahari.

TheObservatory strongly condemns the incommunicado detention of Ms. Nahid Jabrallah, Mr. Mohamed AbdallahAldouma, Mr. Salih Mahmoud Osman, Ms. HananHassan Khalifa, Ms. Rawa JaafarBakhit, Mr. Amjed Fareed, Mr. Ahmed Jadeen, and Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim,which significantly enhances vulnerability to ill-treatment, as well as thearbitrary detention of Ms. Amel Habani, as they clearly aim at punishing theirpeaceful and legitimate human rights activities.

TheObservatory urges Sudanese authorities to immediately and unconditionallyrelease them, and in the meantime to guarantee their physical and psychologicalintegrity and their right to a fair trial, including unhindered access to theirlawyers and families.

Actions requested:

Pleasewrite to the authorities of Sudan asking them to:

i. Guarantee the physicaland psychological integrity of Ms. NahidJabrallah, Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Aldouma, Mr. Salih Mahmoud Osman, Ms.Hanan Hassan Khalifa, Ms. Rawa Jaafar Bakhit, Mr. Amjed Fareed,Mr. Ahmed Jadeen, and Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim and Ms. Amel Habani, as well asof all human rights defenders in Sudan;

ii. Immediately andunconditionally release Ms. NahidJabrallah, Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Aldouma, Mr. Salih Mahmoud Osman, Ms.Hanan Hassan Khalifa, Ms. Rawa Jaafar Bakhit, Mr. Amjed Fareed,Mr. Ahmed Jadeen, and Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim and Ms. Amel Habani, and alldetained human rights defenders in Sudan as theirarbitrary detention is merely aimed at punishing them for their legitimatehuman rights activities;

iii. In the meantime,guarantee the right to due process and fair trial of Ms. Nahid Jabrallah, Mr. Mohamed AbdallahAldouma, Mr. Salih Mahmoud Osman, Ms. HananHassan Khalifa, Ms. Rawa JaafarBakhit, Mr. Amjed Fareed, Mr. Ahmed Jadeen, and Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonimand Ms. Amel Habani, including the unhindered access to their lawyers andfamily;

iv. Carry out an immediate,independent and impartial investigation into alleged above-mentioned acts ofill-treatment against Ms. Amel Habani in order to bring all those responsiblebefore a competent tribunal in accordance with international standards;

i. Put an end to all formsof harassment, including at the judicial level, against Ms. Nahid Jabrallah,Ms. Amel Habani, Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa and Ms. Rawa Jaafar Bakhit and allhuman rights defenders in Sudan so that they are able to carry out their workwithout hindrance or fear of reprisals;

ii. Conform with theprovisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by theGeneral Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially Articles1, 6(c) and 12.2; and

iii. More generally, ensurein all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms inaccordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and withinternational and regional human rights instruments ratified by Sudan.

Addresses:

· H.E Mr. Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir, President of Sudan, Fax:+249183783223; Email: info@presidency.gov.sd

· DrIdris 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 ofthe 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

Pleasealso write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Sudan in your respectivecountry.

***

Geneva-Paris, February 8, 2018

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

TheObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) wascreated in 1997 by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the FIDH.The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situationsof repression against human rights defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both membersof ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented byinternational civil society.

Tocontact the Observatory, call the emergency line:

· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org

· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29

· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 1 43 55 2518 / +33 1 43 55 18 80

[1]For more information, see for instance ACJPSStatement, February 7, 2018 and OMCT Press Release, Sudan:Escalating government crackdown on protesters sparks greater safety concerns,January 30, 2018.