Release of Ms. Rawa Jaafar Bakhit, Ms. Nahid Jabrallah, Ms. Amel Habani, Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa, and Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Aldouma.

Newinformation

SDN002 / 0218 / OBS 017.1

Incommunicadodetention /

Ill-treatment/

Arbitrarydetention /

Release

Sudan
February 21, 2018

The Observatory for the Protectionof Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World OrganisationAgainst Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requests your urgentintervention in the following situation in Sudan.

New information:

The Observatory has been informed by the African Center forJustice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) about the release of Ms. Rawa JaafarBakhit, advocate for the rights of displaced families, Ms. NahidJabrallah, Director of the Sima Centre for Training and Protection of Womenand Children’s Rights based in Khartoum, Ms. Amel Habani, award-winningjournalist and Coordinator in the No Oppression Against Women Initiative inSudan, Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa, human rights lawyer and Mr. MohamedAbdallah Aldouma, Chairperson of the Darfur Bar Association.

According to the information received, on February 12, 2018,Ms. Rawa Jaafar Bakhit was released from the Omdurman Women’s Prison, inKhartoum where she had been detained incommunicado since January 17,2018.

In addition, on February 18, 2018, Ms. Nahid Jabrallah, Ms.Amel Habani and Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa were released following a NationalIntelligence Security Service (NISS) press conference atKober Prison inKhartoum Bahari, where they had been transferred earlier on the same day forthat 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 andMs. Amel Habani had been arrested in Khartoum on January 16, 2018 while theywere taking part in peaceful protests. Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa had beenarrested on January 31, 2018, in Khartoum Bahri at a police/NISS checkpoint inthe main street targeting the people heading to join a protest. Ms. NahidJabrallah and Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa were detained incommunicado and acts ofill-treatment against Ms. Amel Habani had been reported during herinterrogation.

Furthermore,on February 19, 2018, Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Aldouma was released from KoberPrison where he was transferred three hours before from Shalla prison, NorthDarfur, after more than a month of arbitrary incommunicado detention.

The Observatory was also informed of the ongoingincommunicado detention of Mr.Salih Mahmoud Osman, Vice-Chairperson ofthe Darfur Bar Association, Mr. Amjed Fareed, blogger and human rightsdefender, Mr. Ahmed Jadeen, journalist with Aljareeda newspaperand Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim, freelance journalist. They are reportedlyall detained in relation to their participation to nation-wide peacefulprotests against rising commodity prices, which has resulted in the arrest ofseveral human rights defenders and civil society leaders. Yet no informationabout charges levelled against them have been disclosed to date.

The Observatory fears that these arrests and detentionsoccur in reaction to nation-wide demonstrations that began on January 6, 2018and were set off by the announcement of Sudan’s 2018 budget and the lifting ofsubsidies and measures, effectively tripling Sudan’s U.S. dollar exchange rateand increasing the price of basic commodities. Sudanese authorities havecarried out a campaign of massive arrests and detentions, including politicalparty leaders, journalists, students, human rights defenders and otherindividuals for their involvement in the protests[1]. The police and the NISS have usedexcessive force to disperse and arrest protesters, including the reported useof tear gas and beatings with sticks and water hose pipes[2].

The Observatory strongly condemns and reiterates itsconcerns over the ongoing incommunicado detention of Mr.Salih Mahmoud Osman,Mr. Ahmed Jadeen and Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim, which significantly enhancesvulnerability to ill-treatment.

The Observatory urges Sudanese authorities to immediatelyand unconditionally release them, as their detention is arbitrary and clearlyaims at punishing their peaceful and legitimate human rights activities and inthe meantime to guarantee their physical and psychological integrity and theirright to a fair trial, including unhindered access to their lawyers andfamilies.

Background information:

On January 16, 2018, Ms. Nahid Jabrallah and Ms. Amel Habaniwere arrested in Khartoum as they were taking part in such peaceful protests.Both remain were detained by the NISS at the Omdurman Women’s Prison, inKhartoum. Moreover, Ms. Nahid Jabrallah was detained incommunicado since herarrest despite particularly delicate health conditions as she was involved in acar accident prior to her arrest.

Acts of ill-treatment against Ms. Amel Habani have beenreported 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 twochildren in the presence of NISS agents but was denied a visit from her husbandand did not have access to her lawyer while detained. A constitutional appealcontesting the lawfulness of her detention was filed on February 5, 2018 on herbehalf against the Government of Sudan and the NISS and is still pending todate.

OnJanuary 17, 2018, Ms. Rawa Jaafar Bakhit and Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Aldouma werearrested as they were taking part in other protests in Omdurman. Mr. MohamedAbdallah Aldouma was detained at Shalla prison, in North Darfur, where he wastransferred on January 26.

On January 18, 2018, Mr. Amjed Fareed was arrested from hishome in Khartoum and has since been detained incommunicado within the NISSpremises in Khartoum.

On January 31, 2018, Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa was detainedin Khartoum Bahri at a police/NISS checkpoint in the main street targeting thepeople heading to join a protest and was further detained incommunicado theOmdurman Women’s Prison, in Khartoum.

On the same day, Mr. Ahmed Jadeen and Mr. MohammedAbdulmonim were arrested in Khartoum Bahri while they were covering protests.Both journalists had been monitoring and documenting cases of detainees inconnection with the protests. They are being detained at the NISS politicalsection in Khartoum Bahari.

On February 1, 2018, Mr. Salih Mahmoud Osman was arrestedfrom his office in Khartoum and has been detained incommunicado within the NISSpremises in Khartoum since.

Actions requested:

Pleasewrite to the authorities of Sudan asking them to:

i. Guarantee the physical and psychologicalintegrity of Mr. Salih Mahmoud Osman, Mr. Ahmed Jadeen andMr. Mohammed Abdulmonim, as well as of all human rights defenders in Sudan;

ii. Immediately andunconditionally release Mr. Salih Mahmoud Osman, Mr. AhmedJadeen and Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim, and all detained human rights defenders inSudan as their arbitrary detention is merely aimed atpunishing them for their legitimate human rights activities;

iii. In the meantime, guaranteethe right to due process and fair trial of Mr. SalihMahmoud Osman, Mr. Ahmed Jadeen and Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim, including theunhindered access to their lawyers and family;

iv. Carry out an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into allegedabove-mentioned acts of ill-treatment against Ms. Amel Habani in order to bringall those responsible before a competent tribunalin accordance with international standards;

i. Put an end to all forms ofharassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. Mohamed AbdallahAldouma, Mr.Salih Mahmoud Osman, Ms. Rawa Jaafar Bakhit, Mr. Ahmed Jadeen, Mr. Mohammed Abdulmonim, Ms.Nahid Jabrallah, Ms. Amel Habani and Ms. Hanan Hassan Khalifa, and all humanrights defenders in Sudan so that they are able to carry out their work withouthindrance or fear of reprisals;

ii. Conform with the provisionsof the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the GeneralAssembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially Articles 1, 6(c)and 12.2; and

iii. More generally, ensure inall 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.EMr. Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir, President of Sudan, Fax: +249183783223; Email:info@presidency.gov.sd

· Dr IdrisIbrahim 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

· AdvisoryCouncil for Human rights, Rapporteur, Fax: + 249183770883

· H.E.Mr. Mustafa Osman Ismail Elamin, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the Republicof Sudan United Nations in Geneva, Fax: +41227312656 / +41227161970; Email: mission.sudan@bluewinch.ch,

· Embassyof 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 21, 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 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80

[1] For more information, see the Jointopen letter concerning the crackdown on peaceful protests and the wave ofarbitrary arrests and continued incommunicado detentions by Sudanese governmentforces, February 14, 2018.

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