African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies ACJPS | المركز الافريقي لدراسات العدالة و السلام
(23 March 2022) The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) has continued to monitor the continued crackdown on pro-democracy protests including arbitrary arrests and incommunicado detention of civilians and other human rights violations across Sudan since 25 October 2021. In this brief, ACJPS gives an update on various incidents resulting in serious violations of human rights of civilians that have continued to occur since our last update on the Sudan coup. The period covered is 1 February to 14 March 2022.
Sudanese authorities have targeted members of the Dismantle and Anti-Corruption Committee of 30 June 1989 regime with arbitrary arrest and detention. On 9 February 2022, the office of attorney general in Khartoum North issued arrest warrant against 18 members of the Committee. They were detained and charged under article 177 (2) (criminal breach of trust) of the Sudanese Criminal Act 1991, and have been held incommunicado to date at Suba prison. A police officer attached to the committee who has been held in custody since October 2021 was also charged with the same. The committee was tasked with dismantling the structures of the former regime before its dismissal by the authorities after the coup. The lack of access for lawyers and family members to the detainees, together with the well-documented use of torture by security agencies and other forms of ill-treatment against detainees gives rise to serious concerns for their safety.
ACJPS is deeply concerned about the increasing trend of rape of women in Sudan by security forces and armed militia. On 14 March 2022, at around 07:00pm, a group of seven men in Central Reserve Police uniform fired tear gas at a public vehicle carrying passengers while it approached Almuslamia bridge in Khartoum. The police officers ordered the driver of the vehicle to stop before they started beating passengers, some later ran away. One of the two female passengers on the vehicle, a 19-year-old university student was detained and reportedly raped alternately by five of the policemen before she was rescued by a resident of the area who responded to her alarms. On 12 and 13 March 2022, a court in Elfashir continued with the hearing of the case of an alleged rape of a 10-year-old child by her Qurani Teacher in a school located in Karnoi locality, North Darfur. The Case was filed by the victim’s family in November 2021. After that, police carried out investigations and discovered that several other students were raped in the same school under similar circumstances. On 16 March, hundreds of Sudanese took to the streets to demonstrate against the alleged rape of a 19-year-old woman by members of the regular forces in the evening after the March 14 March of the Millions on 14 March 2022. Recently, ACJPS documented the rape of three IDPs in Darfur by armed militia and another in RSF Uniform.
The brutality by security forces against civilians during dispersal of protest gatherings raises concerns for the respect of right to life. ACJPS documented the killing of eight peaceful protesters between 14 February and 10 March 2022 in Omdurman and Khartoum. Majority of the deceased were shot with live bullets in the upper parts of their bodies. Hundreds of protesters were wounded by live and rubber bullets, teargas canisters and stun grenades (See Annex 1 for nature injuries). In Khartoum, teargas was fired inside three medical facilities including in the emergency unit and operation theater.
Authorities have continued to charge and prosecute peaceful protesters under articles of 69 (disturbance of public peace) and 77 (public nuisance) of Sudanese Criminal Act 1991 for participating in protests. In Port Sudan, a human rights defender was charged under article 77 (Public nuisance) and 99 (Obstructing public servant from performing the duties of his office) of the Sudanese Criminal Act 1991 after being arrested at a rally. Also in Port Sudan, 4 children arrested at a rally were charged under article 77 (Public nuisance) of the Sudanese Criminal Act 1991 and allegedly subjected to beating and hair shaving before their release. On 10 March 2022, joint security forces arrested 35 peaceful protesters and detained them in Northern Khartoum before charging them under article 77 (Public nuisance) of the Sudanese Criminal Act 1991. In Khartoum and North Kordofan, police officers subjected detainees to beating and hair shaving.
ACJPS condemns the on-going violent crack down on anti-coup protests and the silencing of political opposition members, activists, and human rights defenders through arbitrary detention, despite guarantees to the freedom of expression, association, and assembly in the 2019 Constitutional Charter for the Transitionary period.
ACJPS calls on Sudanese authorities to ensure independent and effective investigation into the circumstances of the killing and injuring protesters. Such an investigation should be thorough and impartial with the view of finding and holding the perpetrators accountable.
We further call on Sudanese authorities to:
- Investigate all allegations of rape with the aim of holding perpetrators accountable and providing compensation for the violations. A special prosecutor should be appointed to the case should the victims wish to proceed with a criminal prosecution. Authorities must guarantee the victims’ protection from reprisal.
- Immediately and unconditionally release of all detainees and guarantee their physical safety and wellbeing including granting access to their lawyers, family members and medical services.
- Ensure access to free treatment and rehabilitation to individuals injured through the violent dispersal by the authorities,
- End the use of excessive and unnecessary force including during the dispersal of peaceful protests,
- End the practice of blocking access to health care services and guarantee the right to health and life for all,
- Stop the criminalization of peaceful protests and guarantee the rights to peaceful assembly, free expression, liberty and security of persons and prohibition on torture and other ill-treatment,
- End the state of emergency and restore the constitutional order.
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Find here Statistics on injuries
