Sudan
04.09.03
Urgent Interventions
Sudan: arrest, incommunicado detention and risk of torture of Mr. Adam Khawaja
Case SDN 040903
Incommunicado detention / Risk of torture
The International Secretariat of 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 a Sudanese Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), a member of the OMCT network, of the arrest, incommunicado detention and risk of torture of Mr. Adam Khawaja in Zalingi, Western Darfour, Sudan.
According to the information received, the military intelligence and security forces in Zalingi, Western Darfour, have arrested 40-year old Mr. Adam Khawaja, a merchant by profession and member of the Four tribe, on August 29th, 2003, without any official charges having been pressed against him. He is currently being detained at the Zalingi security forces' detention facilities, under the suspicion that he is a supporter of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), a rebel group fighting against the government forces in the Darfour regions. He has been denied acces to family visits and legal representation, giving rise to fears that he may be being subjected to ill-treatment and/or torture. OMCT has received numerous reports indicating the systematic use of torture on detainees in detention facilities in Darfour. OMCT has noted an increased numner of arrests of persons suspected of supporting the SLA in the last week, many of whom have been tortured while in detention.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is therefore gravely concerned for Mr. Adam Khawaja's physical and psychological integrity. OMCT calls upon the Sudanese authorities to guarantee his personal integrity at all times, including unhindered access to family visits and legal counsel. OMCT further calls for his immediate release in the absence of legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards. OMCT condemns the security forces and the military intelligence use of arbitrary arrests and torture against the people belong to the Four and other tribes in ther Darfour regions and urges the authorities to launch an immediate and impartial investigation into these events, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to justice and award adequate reparation to the victims.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee Mr. Adam Khawaja’s physical and psychological integrity;
ii. guarantee that he is granted access to legal representation and family visits;
iii. order his immediate release in the absence of legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist, bring him before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times;
iv. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his arrest, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
v. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
· President of the Republic of Sudan, His Excellency Lieutenant-General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President' s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +24911 771651/783223/779977
· First Vice-President, Mr Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, People's Palace PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax : +249 11 771651/ 779977
· Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mr Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 771479/774842/774906
· Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mustafa Osman Ismail, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax :+249 11 779383
· Advisory Council for Human Rights, Dr Yasir Sid Ahmed, PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 779173/770883
· Minister of Internal Affairs, Major General Abdul-Rahim Muhammed Hussein, Ministry of Interior, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 774339/776554/777900/773046/770186
· Minister of Federal Government, Dr Nafie Ali Nafie, Office of the Presidents People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax : +24911 771651/783223
· His Excellency Ambassador Mr. Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sudan to the United Nations in Geneva, PO Box 335, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +4122 731 26 56, E-mail: mission.sudan@ties.itu.int.
Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.
Geneva, September 4, 2003
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Incommunicado detention / Risk of torture
The International Secretariat of 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 a Sudanese Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), a member of the OMCT network, of the arrest, incommunicado detention and risk of torture of Mr. Adam Khawaja in Zalingi, Western Darfour, Sudan.
According to the information received, the military intelligence and security forces in Zalingi, Western Darfour, have arrested 40-year old Mr. Adam Khawaja, a merchant by profession and member of the Four tribe, on August 29th, 2003, without any official charges having been pressed against him. He is currently being detained at the Zalingi security forces' detention facilities, under the suspicion that he is a supporter of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), a rebel group fighting against the government forces in the Darfour regions. He has been denied acces to family visits and legal representation, giving rise to fears that he may be being subjected to ill-treatment and/or torture. OMCT has received numerous reports indicating the systematic use of torture on detainees in detention facilities in Darfour. OMCT has noted an increased numner of arrests of persons suspected of supporting the SLA in the last week, many of whom have been tortured while in detention.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is therefore gravely concerned for Mr. Adam Khawaja's physical and psychological integrity. OMCT calls upon the Sudanese authorities to guarantee his personal integrity at all times, including unhindered access to family visits and legal counsel. OMCT further calls for his immediate release in the absence of legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards. OMCT condemns the security forces and the military intelligence use of arbitrary arrests and torture against the people belong to the Four and other tribes in ther Darfour regions and urges the authorities to launch an immediate and impartial investigation into these events, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to justice and award adequate reparation to the victims.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee Mr. Adam Khawaja’s physical and psychological integrity;
ii. guarantee that he is granted access to legal representation and family visits;
iii. order his immediate release in the absence of legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist, bring him before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times;
iv. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his arrest, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
v. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
· President of the Republic of Sudan, His Excellency Lieutenant-General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President' s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +24911 771651/783223/779977
· First Vice-President, Mr Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, People's Palace PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax : +249 11 771651/ 779977
· Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mr Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 771479/774842/774906
· Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mustafa Osman Ismail, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax :+249 11 779383
· Advisory Council for Human Rights, Dr Yasir Sid Ahmed, PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 779173/770883
· Minister of Internal Affairs, Major General Abdul-Rahim Muhammed Hussein, Ministry of Interior, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 11 774339/776554/777900/773046/770186
· Minister of Federal Government, Dr Nafie Ali Nafie, Office of the Presidents People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax : +24911 771651/783223
· His Excellency Ambassador Mr. Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sudan to the United Nations in Geneva, PO Box 335, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +4122 731 26 56, E-mail: mission.sudan@ties.itu.int.
Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.
Geneva, September 4, 2003
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.