FIDH, ACJPS and SHRM Joint Oral statement during the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council

FIDH – International Federation for Human Rights

Oral statement during the 52^nd session of the Human Rights Council during the Enhanced Interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s oral update, mandated in resolution 50/1, on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, with the participation of the designated Expert (3 March 2022)

Mister High Commissioner,

FIDH and its member organizations in Sudan, ACJPS and SHRM, welcome Mr. Radhouane Nouicer in his new position [as Human Rights Expert for Sudan].

Our organizations continue to condemn the military authorities’ violent suppression of peaceful protests, which includes the use of excessive, and often lethal, force against protestors. Yasin Hassan Salih, a 15-year-old boy, was killed in Omdurman on February 9, 2023. Serious human rights violations committed since the coup in October 2021 must not go unpunished.

The repression extends to human rights defenders and dissenting voices. Hundreds of activists have been detained without charge or trial for varying periods of time, and twelve protestors are facing unfounded criminal charges.

Despite Sudan’s ratification of the Convention against Torture in 2021, cruel punishments are still permissible under Sudanese law and have recently been witnessed [amputation, death by stoning, apostasy]. In Sudan, approximately 2,700 people have been sentenced to death, including 11 children, while the right to a fair trial is frequently denied.

Additionally, we are deeply concerned about the intensification of attacks on civilians and inter-communal violence in Darfur and in Blue Nice, as well as the failure of the Sudanese authorities to protect their citizens in those regions. Our organizations remain concerned about serious human rights violations near gold mines, including the use of prohibited materials.

Accountability continues to be key, including for sexual and gender-based violence. The military authorities must show their commitment to a democratic transition in Sudan by enabling the fight against impunity to move forward [in Darfur, in all conflict zones, and in the country as a whole]. We call on all relevant actors to urge the authorities in power to take specific, demonstrable and measurable steps towards accountability [in Sudan]. A first step could be to remove the blanket impunity returned by the authorities in power to the security forces.

I thank you.