The Human Rights Situation in Sudan,October 2002

Literature 

 Umma Party memorandum To Mr. Gerhard Paum,

The UN Commission for Human Rights Reporter

Introduction:

 Human Rights situation in Sudan is still worrying. The present margin of freedom is not guaranteed constitutionally .In fact there are many legislations that restrict, endanger and jeopardize that margin. In practice, human rights abuses are continuously committed. The first part of this memorandum will deal with the human rights abuses. The second part will deal with the issue of the Islamic laws and human rights.

Part One

       1.        Government’s Encroachments Against Umma Party:

Umma Party bore the lion share of the NIF military coup oppression and encroachments. The leaders of the party are frequently arrested and ill treated, the party properties are confiscated, and even the Ansar religious organization witnessed the same treatment. Their main mosque in Omdurman and headquarters were occupied since 1994 and used for government purposes. In 1998 the place was evacuated by the government officials and handed over to a handful of senile Ansar individuals who are manipulated by state security. So in 1998 the place was not handed back to the organization from which it was usurped but to a group which appears as different from government but is in fact government-manipulated.

When the regime began to retreat and changed its exclusive policies, the Umma party welcomed that attitude and highly encouraged it.

Following the ”Nation Call” agreement, the Umma party abandoned the military resistant and turned back to the civil political struggle. The party launched a political dialogue with the regime in order to reach a comprehensive political solution to realize a just peace and democracy.

The regime seemed to be not ready for a genuine transformation. It spent the time in procrastination, so it was impossible for such negotiations to make a breakthrough. The regime was reluctant to give any sign of good will. The confiscated properties were not returned back and so the Ansar organization main mosque and headquarters.

Moreover, the regime practiced its favorite tactics of divide and rule. It seduced the Umma negotiation team to join them without the required transformation.

The regime succeeded to penetrate the negotiation team of the Umma party. It supported this minute fraction morally and materially. The dissident group held a mock conference fathered by the regime logistically and attained a wide cover in the governmental media. The financial cost of that conference was above the capability of the dissidents. The regime considered the negotiation team of the Umma party as if it was the whole party and signed with it an agreement and incorporated them in their government like the other satellite parties.

The regime continues its abuses against the Umma party, hereinafter some of them:

1)                    The confiscated properties are still at the regime’s hand. It was estimated as 4.5 million U.S.dollars. The party received only 25% of the total value.

2)                    After the penetration, a peaceful delegation  of the Umma members from Gezera State came to express their support and commitment to the party leader and institutions. The security authorities stopped them outside Khartoum and prevented them to reach their destination.

3)                    In his last visit to AL-Obied, SAYYED SADIG AL-MAHDI, the party’s leader was supposed to address the  gathering at the courtyard but the authorities forbade that and the address was made inside the Umma party house.

4)                    Dr. Madibo, the chairman of the politburo and Dr. Maryam the chairperson of the women development sector were supposed to address a student forum at Al-Azhary university but they were prevented and the forum was cancelled.

5)                     Dr. Ibrahim Al-Amin an Umma leader was summoned to the security forces headquarters 2 weeks ago because he was co-ordinating with other political forces to write a message to the parties to the military conflict requesting their return back to the negotiation table at the ongoing IGAD peace process.

6)                    Mr. NASR Mohmmed Nasr an Umma party trade unionist suffers these days a part-time detention. He was ordered to report to the security headquarters early in the morning and to remain there all the day without interrogation until being released at night with orders to return the next day.

2.                     The Freedom of Press:

The government continued to constrain and to oppress the press in several ways. Throughout the last year, the government tried several manoeuvres to fasten its grip on the press.

(One)             Many journalists were issued with summonses to report to the security authorities , for example this happened to:

                      q          Mahjoub Mohammed Salih

                      q          Al-Haj Warrag

                      q          Nour Addin Madani

                      q          Saad Addin Ibrahim

Some of the journalists were suffered a part-time detention.

Dr. Hayder Ibrahim, the Director general of the Sudanese Studies center was summoned to security forces office and interrogated crudely. He had been put for several hours in a bad condition and was ill-treated and lastly, he was intimidated. Dr. Hayder wrote articles considered by them to be hostile and not in line with them.

(Two)            There is a very tight censorship. The  security authorities frequently issue clear instructions banning newspapers to report or to publish certain issues, e.g.: The news of the Popular National Congress party, the SPLA’s news especially during military escalation, Trade Unions and student Unions elections, the security situation in Darfur and others.

(Three)          As a means of economic pressure, the security authorities used to confiscate or fully withdraw editions after being printed and prepared for sale. This was happened to :Khartoum Monitor and Al-Hurriya newspaper in the few last weeks.

3.                    Persecution of students:

The human rights abuses against students continued. The so called “higher education revolution” policy deprived the students from accommodation, consequently many student left their educational institutional, since they could not afford such expenses On the other hand, the government tried persistently to disolve the student unions and to monopolize them fraudulently. If students resist such acts, they will be subjected to aggressive actions. Here are some examples:

University of Khartoum:

q                      The political activity is faced with so many  obstacles. The loud speakers are forbidden inside the university. The activity needs to be licensed through the deanship, which may be reluctant to give the permission.

q                      After 7 years suspension of their union, the students pressed for elections. The university administration accepts the idea and higher electoral committee was formed. Suddenly the Chancellor of the university issued a decree to suspend the elections. The excuse was that there are some student(pro-government) involved in a holly war against the rebels, and the election will be suspended until their return.

Korofan University:

Again here the student union was dissolved in September the 3thd 2002. The security forces arrested the following students:

q                      Yousif Musa : The financial secretary of the union.

q                      Ahmed Fadlallah Awaja: The union chairman.

q                      Ahmed Mohammed Ali

q                      Ibrahim Bashir.

Sudan University for Science and Technology:

The student union was suspended since November 2000.

113 student out of 120 were dismissed.

On September 2002 the university administration banned the political activity, and 25 PNC students were arrested.

Gedarif University:

A committee to draft the student union constitution was formed, and did its work and the Election Day was appointed to be 26/5/2002. One day before the election, the security forces invade the university and dealt violently with the students. The university was closed.3 students were dismissed:

1)                    Al-Muiz AL-Aagib

2)                    Anwar Othman

 And 4 students were suspended for one year:

1)                    Al-Muiz Othman

2)                    Salah Mohammed Musa

3)                    Mahir Ibrahim

4)                    Mubarak Othman

Sinar university:

The present union was a result of a fraudulent election accompanied with a campaign of intimidation. Huge amount of security forces attended the elections and intimidated student who preffered to boycott the elections.

The “opponent” political forces are not allowed to perform their activity.

Al-Azhary university:

The political activity was banned. There is no student union. Umma students organized a symposium on August 2002 and took permission from the deanship, in spite of that they were prevented.

Nyala and Zalingi:

The political activities are prohibited. On July 2002 a number of Umma party students were arrested for a week then they transferred to Kober Prison where they stayed for a month and then released.

Part two

Islamic laws:

First of all we have to differentiate between Islam and the Muslim world experiments.

Attached to this Memorandum are:

1/ Lessons from Modern Islamization programs.

2/A paper to seminar on Islamic Perspective on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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