African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies ACJPS | المركز الافريقي لدراسات العدالة و السلام
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Human Rights Council – 33rd session
Item 6 – Adoption of the report on the UPR of Sudan
Oral statement
21 September 2016
Mr. President,
FIDH and its member organization the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) welcome the Sudan government’s commitment to consider the ratification of key international human rights instruments and to bring all domestic law in line with international treaty obligations. We are however dismayed at the failure to accept multiple recommendations to take concrete steps in this regard. We note for example that Sudan already committed to considering the ratification of CEDAW during the first review, but has failed to take steps to do so.
We further deeply regret that although the government pledged to adopt legislation that defines and criminalizes torture, calls to ratify the Convention against Torture and its Optional Protocol were simply noted. Sudan failed to accept multiple recommendations calling for a moratorium on executions, with the view to the absolute abolition of the death penalty which is implemented by hanging in Sudan, and similarly failed to accept recommendations to repeal laws that provide for corporal punishments, such as lashings, which are routinely implemented in Sudan. These laws and practices violate the absolute prohibition of torture to which Sudan has committed.
It is of great concern that the Sudan government has also failed to accept repeated calls to repeal all laws that grant immunities from prosecution to state agents. During this review the Sudan government underplayed the serious barriers these immunity laws present for victims seeking justice and accountability.
We welcome that during this review Sudan has committed to end the violent repression of protestors and arbitrary detention of political activists and journalists, and to take immediate measures to conduct independent inquiries into all violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations, including extra-judicial executions and torture, bringing the perpetrators to justice. Steps should be taken towards their immediate implementation. To date, not one person has been held to account for the killing of over 185 protestors by government security forces in September 2013 and Sudan should be urged to remedy this.
Thank you.
Delivered by: Elbarag Elnazir, Director, Sudanese Human Rights Monitor
