Sudan: Update to Response to Information Request SDN12658 of 2 February 1993 on changes in the treatment of Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) members for the period 1992-1994
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SDN20291.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sudan: Update to Response to Information Request SDN12658 of 2 February 1993 on changes in the treatment of Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) members for the period 1992-1994, 1 April 1995, SDN20291.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aae54c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to both Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW), political parties remain banned in Sudan and party members continue to be arrested (Human Rights Watch World Report 1995 1994, 52; "The Tears of Orphans," No Future Without Human Rights Jan. 1995, 16).
According to HRW, the secretary-general of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Sid Ahmad al-Hussein, was "detained and tortured several times" (HRW Dec. 1994, 53). However, the source does not indicate when these detentions took place. HRW in another report on Sudan states that "Al-Hussein was arrested on March 20 1994, twice in 1993, and was tried and acquitted in 1992 for plotting with the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA)" (Sudan: "In the Name of God" Nov. 1994, 32).
Amnesty International reports that "hundreds of party activists and trade unionists have been detained without charge, released and redetained" (AI Jan. 1995, 16). The AI report cites the example of a political detainee, DUP member Osman Omar al-Sharif, who was moved to a "ghost house" in Khartoum after he had been detained by security forces in Wad Medani (ibid.). The AI report adds that Osman Omar al-Sharif was detained for a month in 1993 for allegedly encouraging a strike by merchants in Wad Medani (ibid.). This arrest was corroborated by HRW, which added in its report that this was al-Sharif's third arrest under the current government (HRW Nov. 1994, 32).
The 1994 annual report of Amnesty International states that Sid Ahmad al-Hussein was arrested and would be charged by the authorities for "treason and espionage but he remained uncharged at the end of the year" (AI 1994, 274). The 1993 AI annual report, which covers events of 1992, states that "hundreds of members of banned political parties were arrested during the year" (AI 1993, 269). DUP members were among the detained. Members included Mirghani Abdel Rahman Suleiman, who was arrested in March and released in November (ibid.). For additional information on arrests of DUP members, please consult the attachments.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Amnesty International. January 1995. "The Tears of Orphans," No Future Without Human Rights. (AI Index: AFR 54/02/95). New York: Amnesty International USA.
_____. 1994. Amnesty International Report 1994. New York: Amnesty International USA.
_____. 1993. Amnesty International Report 1993. New York: Amnesty International USA.
Human Rights Watch (HRW). December 1994. Human Rights Watch World Report 1995. New York: Human Rights Watch.
_____. November 1994. Sudan: "In the Name of God": Repression Continues in Northern Sudan. New York: Human Rights Watch.
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP) [Paris, in English]. 19 May 1993. "Opposition Says Regime Makes `Dozens' of Arrests." (FBIS-NES-93-096 20 May 1993, p. 12)
Amnesty International. 20 April 1994. Urgent Action: Sudan: Sid Ahmad al-Hussein, Opposition Politician - Senior Member of Democratic Unionist Party. (AI Index: AFR 54/15/94). London: Amnesty International.
_____. 9 December 1993. Urgent Action: Sudan: Osman Omar al-Sharif, Senior Member of Democratic Unionist Party. (AI Index: AFR 54/42/93). London: Amnesty International.
_____. 19 November 1993. Urgent Action: Sudan: Sid Ahmad al-Hussein, Senior Member of Democratic Unionist Party, Abdallah Barakat, Member the Ansar Religious Order and 33 Students Whose Names Are Currently Unknown. (AI Index: AFR 54/41/93). London: Amnesty International.
_____. 17 May 1993. Urgent Action: Sudan. (AI Index: AFR 54/17/93). London: Amnesty International.
_____. 29 April 1992. Urgent Action: Sudan. (AI Index: AFR 54/17/92). London: Amnesty International.
The Guardian [London]. 23 November 1993. Julie Flint. Fears for Life of Opposition Leader Still Held in Sudan. (NEXIS)