Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2002 - Sudan

Harassment of Mr. Gazi Suleiman55

Mr. Gazi Suleiman, lawyer and Chairman of the Sudanese Human Rights Group (SHRG), who had been arbitrarily arrested and detained from December 2000 to February 2001 for defending the leaders of an opposition party, was attacked at his home on 9th May 2002. Officers came to his home with a summons to the security forces' offices. Mr. Suleiman refused to comply. Two hours later, 15 officers came to his home, behaving very aggressively and terrifying his family. After searching the house without a warrant, they arrested him and took him to the police station where he was left waiting in a corridor for six hours. He was then questioned for an hour about the activities of the SHRG and told to disband the organisation. He was then released.

Situation of Dr. Nageeb Nagmeldin El Toum and the Amal Centre56

Harassment of the members of the Amal Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Physical and Mental Trauma continued in 2002. Dr. Nageeb Nagmeldin El Toum, Director of the Amal Centre and member of the Sudanese Organisation Against Torture (SOAT, formerly SVTG) had been imprisoned from 10th to 27th May 2001 and interrogated twice in October of that year. In July 2002 he was banned from travelling to a regional conference of the International Council for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (IRCT). In September he was called in by the security forces and banned from travelling to Cairo where he was due to attend a conference. The Amal Centre was under close surveillance all year, and was searched by police in September.

Situation of Mr. Faisal El Bagir Mohamed57

Mr. Faisal El Bagir Mohamed, an independent journalist and member of SOAT and the Khartoum Centre for Human Rights Studies continued to suffer harassment in 2002.

On 2nd May, he was called in to the security forces office in Khartoum, where he was questioned about his publications, especially an article on human rights published in the newspaper Agras Almarasid. He was also questioned about his relationship with the Khartoum Centre, his activities at the Amal Centre, his discussions with foreign organisations and his meeting with the special UN Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Sudan on the latter's last visit. He was told he would henceforth have to show his articles to the authorities before publication, and that the material confiscated in June 2001 would not be returned to him.

On 7th October 2002, Mr. El Bagir was arrested at his home on his return from a trip abroad. He was questioned about a conference on press freedom he had attended in Dakar, and about his stay in Cairo. His passport was confiscated. He was released a few hours later and ordered to report the next day; he did so, and his passport was returned to him.

Repression against students58

On 2nd February 2002, Miss Tahani Ibrahim Ahmed, a student at the Omdurman College of Technological Science and a member of the SOAT student network, was suspended from the university for 12 months. This occurred after she had formed a human rights defence group and had expressed her views on women's rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) at a meeting organised by her group. Her lawyer, Mr. Amir Suleiman, appealed to the college administration and stated his intention of taking the matter to the Constitutional Court. However, Miss Ibrahim Ahmad was re-admitted in May and her lawyer dropped the proceedings. Similar incidents occurred with other members of the Democratic Students' Front, who were also suspended or expelled because of their involvement. Students concerned are Alid Sideig Mohamed, Ada Fadl Allah Adam, Husam el-Din Abdullah, Allah el-Din Mustafa Mohamed Ali, Ghosai el-Nour Mohammed Ahmed and Mohammed al-Hadi Suleiman.


[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]

55. See Annual Report 2001.

56. See Annual Report 2001.

57. Idem.

58. See Urgent Appeal SDN 001/0202/OBS 012.

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