Sudan’s right watchdog urges release of Nubian archaeologist

– The United Nations Secretary General
– UNESCO
– Academicians
– Departments of Psychology, anthropology, and Archeology
– Civil Society, Human Rights, and Democracy NGOs
– Sudan Parliamentarians and Political Parties

August 23, 2007 — SHRO asks, as well, the National Unity of Government to release the political detainees, including Ali Mahmoud Hasanain, Mubarak al-Fadil al-Mahdi, and all their colleagues from unlawful detention in full compliance with the Interim Constitution.

The Organization condemns in the strongest terms possible the Government’s repressive treatment of the Sudanese scientist Jalal, including intimidating dictates to force him to abandon all public or personal support to the national popular campaign against the Kajbar Dam.

The Organization urges the Sudan parliamentarians, political parties, and all civil society groups to question the executives’ abusive actions, in accordance with the Constitution.

SHRO-Cairo notes that General Gosh, director of the State Security Department, psychology professor Zubair, the Minister of Interior, and Attorney General Minister of Justice al-Mardi have not yet taken the required measures to end the abusive actions by their state offices that continue to prolong the unlawful detention and intimidation of Dr. Muhammad Jalal.

Archaeologist Jalal is a human rights activist who has been critically voicing the deep irrevocable protest of the Kajbar (Kajabar) people in the Northern Province of Sudan against the government’s dam construction in the area that will inevitably destroy the national treasures and all sites of the ancient Nubia archaeology, as well as forcing a new Diaspora for the natives of the area; thus disrupting the social fabric of the whole population.

The Organization is deeply concerned that the top officials of the government’s legal security organs abused their constitutional jobs to keep, against the Interim Constitution, Dr. Jalal in unrestricted unlawful custody. Led by these officials, the authorities aimed to silence Dr. Jalal’s significant contributions in the increasing public protest of Kajbar against the dam.

The authorities’ repression of the Kajbar movement included recent attacks by armed security force resulting in deaths and injuries of innocent citizens (SHRO statement: June 19, 2007 copied below) to intimidate the protesting campaigners that have been gaining continuous momentum all over the world versus the government’s poor constitutional performance.

SHRO-Cairo asks the United Nations Secretary General, UNESCO, and all academics, anthropologists, psychologists, and archaeologists of the world to put the strongest pressure possible on the abusive officials of the Government of Sudan to realize the human rights of Dr. Jalal and the People of Kajbar, stop all abuses of authority against them, and ensure a peaceful end to the destructive prospects of the notorious Kajbar Dam.

June 19, 2007 — The Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo Office is strongly shocked by the State’s unjustifiable use of extreme violence to end a peaceful demonstration protesting the construction of the Kajabar Dam at the Fareeq County in the Wadi Halfa Province of North Sudan.

On Wednesday the 13th of June, the police forces, supported by the State Security Department, used a great amount of tar gas to disperse a peaceful assembly by citizens of the county. This reckless attitude of the police/security force led to the immediate death of Sheikhaddin haj Ahmed, Mohamed Faqeer Diab, al-Sadiq Saleem, and al-Mouiz Mohamed ‘Abd al-Rahman.

Several people were injured by the police violent assault, including Seed Ahmed Osman Douri, Khairi Osman Ismail, Hamid Hamad Hamid, Mohamed Mustafa, Faraj ‘Abd al-Rahim Faraj, Mursi Seed Ahmed, al-Fadil Mohamed Faqeeri, ‘Abd al-Raziq yagoub, and Osman Ibrahim.

The security force also arrested tens of citizens arbitrarily, including four journalists reporting the massacre: al-Fatih ‘Abd-Allah (from al-Sudani paper), Qadafi ‘Abd al-Mutaloib (al-Ayyam), Abu al-Qasim Farahna (Alwan), and Abu Obaida ‘Awad (Ral al-Sha’b). The police/security force detained as well the lawyers ‘Alamaddin ‘Abd al-Qayoum, ‘Ali ‘Abd al-Qayoum, and ‘Imad Merghani Seed-Ahmed. Many other citizens were unlawfully arrested and detained in the towns of Halfa and Dongola, and the National Capital Khartoum.

The Organization condemns in the strongest terms possible the unlawful abuse of State powers by the Governorate, Police and Security Department of the Province of Wadi Halfa as well as the Police and Security Headquarters in Khartoum that suppressed the right of people to exercise peaceful assembly and the freedom of expression.

SHRO calls on the authorities to conduct an immediate independent investigation by the Judiciary on the brutalities committed by the Police and the Security Department in the Fareeq Massacre. The officials who involved themselves in the massacre must be firmly prosecuted for the extra-judicial killings and the other abuses of authority committed in the area.

All citizens arbitrarily arrested and detained in Halfa, Dongola and the National Capital must be immediately released.

The families of the murdered citizens and the others injured should be fully compensated by law.

The Government of National Unity has completely failed to resolve the crisis of the Kajabar Dam, which has been largely disputed by environmentalists, archaeologists, economists and many other specialist professionals and scientists, in addition to firm rejection by the inhabitants of the area.

The Sudan Human Rights organization appeals to the Parliamentary Representatives of the Northern Provinces, Civil Society Groups, UNESCO and the International Community at large to put the strongest pressure on the Government of Sudan to suspend all construction operations of the Kajabar Dam at his particular time.

A peaceful settlement must be peacefully pursued to the satisfaction of the inhabitants, with due respect to the best developmental arrangements of the region in accordance with environmental, archaeological, and other scientific concerns.