Situation of human rights in the Sudan

1993/60. Situation of human rights in the Sudan

The Commission on Human Rights, Reaffirming that all Member States have an obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms as embodied in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other applicable human rights instruments, Recalling General Assembly resolution 47/142 of 18 December 1992 on the situation in the Sudan, Noting with deep concern reports of grave human rights violations in the Sudan, particularly summary executions, detentions without trial, forced displacement of persons and torture, as described in, inter alia, the reports submitted to the Commission on Human Rights at its forty-eighth session by the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and at its forty-ninth session by the Special Rapporteur on the question of religious intolerance, Noting the announcement by the Government of the Sudan of its intention to constitute an independent judicial inquiry Commission to investigate the killings of Sudanese employees of foreign relief organizations, Noting also the widespread conditions of armed conflict existing within the Sudan, Deeply concerned that access by the civilian population to humanitarian assistance has been impeded, but welcoming the recent dialogue between the Government of the Sudan, donor Governments and international non-governmental organizations regarding delivery of humanitarian aid, Alarmed by the mass exodus of refugees into neighbouring countries and the large number of internally displaced persons and victims of discrimination in the Sudan, including members of minorities who have been forcibly displaced in violation of their human rights, Emphasizing that it is essential to put an end to the serious deterioration of the human rights situation in the Sudan,

1. Expresses its deep concern at the serious human rights violations in the Sudan, including summary executions, detentions without due process, forced displacement of persons and torture;

2. Urges the Government of the Sudan to respect fully human rights, and calls upon all parties to cooperate in order to ensure such respect;

3. Requests the Chairman of the Commission, after consultations within the Bureau, to appoint an individual of recognized international standing and expertise in human rights as special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan;

4. Requests the Special Rapporteur to establish direct contact with the Government and with the people of the Sudan and to investigate and report to the Commission at its fiftieth session on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, including any progress made there towards the full restoration of human rights and compliance with international human rights instruments and international humanitarian law;

5. Also requests the Special Rapporteur to seek and receive credible and reliable information from Governments, non-governmental organizations and any other parties who have knowledge of these matters;

6. Calls upon the Government of the Sudan to extend its full and unreserved cooperation and to assist the Special Rapporteur in the discharge of his mandate and, to this end, to take all necessary steps to ensure that the special Rapporteur has free and unlimited access to any person in the Sudan whom he wishes to meet;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to give the Special Rapporteur all necessary assistance in the discharge of his mandate;

8. Calls upon the Government of the Sudan to comply with applicable international human rights instruments, in particular the International Covenants on Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, to which the Sudan is a party, and to ensure that all individuals in its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, including members of all religious and ethnic groups, enjoy fully the rights recognized in these instruments;

9. Calls upon all parties to the hostilities to respect fully the applicable provisions of international humanitarian law, including in particular common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 for the protection of war victims, to halt the use of weapons against the civilian population and to protect all civilians from violations, including forcible displacement, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, torture and summary execution;

10. Strongly urges all parties to the hostilities to redouble their efforts to negotiate an equitable solution to the civil conflict to ensure respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Sudanese people, thereby creating the necessary conditions to end the exodus of Sudanese refugees to neighbouring countries and facilitating their early return to the Sudan, and welcomes efforts to facilitate dialogue among the parties to that end;

11. Calls upon the Government of the Sudan to ensure a full, thorough and prompt investigation by the independent judicial inquiry commission of the killings of Sudanese employees of foreign relief organizations, to bring to justice those responsible for the killings and to provide just compensation to the families of the victims;

12. Calls upon all parties to permit international agencies, humanitarian organizations and donor Governments to deliver humanitarian assistance to the civilian population and to cooperate with the initiatives of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat to deliver assistance to all persons in need;

13. Requests the Special Rapporteur to report his findings and recommendations to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session and to the Commission on Human Rights at its fiftieth session;

14. Decides to consider the situation of human rights in the Sudan at its fiftieth session under the same agenda item.

65th meeting
10 March 1993
[Adopted by a roll-call vote of 35 to 9, with
8 abstentions. See chap. XII.]