Govt must not restrict freedom of expression, peaceful assembly

SHRO-CAIRO

Following the regrettable news of the sudden death of the Sudanese leader, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, the First Vice President of the Republic of Sudan, in an air crash, updated news affirmed that unknown number of deaths and injuries occurred in the streets of the capital Khartoum due to violent interference by the police and army forces to subdue peaceful demonstrations by thousands of citizens who had been expressing their heartfelt shock and sadness towards the sudden death of their popular leader, Dr. John Garang de Mabior.

As the demonstrations widely expressed, the Sudanese people who, without any government restriction, expressed at the Khartoum Airport, a few weeks ago, “free, true, and deep respect and affection towards Dr. John Garang de Mabior, being a faithful unionist leader of the Nation’s pursuit for the just and permanent peace and democratic development” in the words of both government and opposition groups, have every right to express their sorrow and sadness for his death, as well as continuous recognition of his political hopes and goals, with peaceful demonstrations and free assemblies.

In Khartoum, however, the rush of the government’s disciplinary and other armed groups to suppress, by unrestricted use of force, the freedom of peaceful assembly and lawful demonstration – in response to incidents of unlawful behavior – indicates a dangerous negligence of human rights as well as non-observance of the public freedoms from the part of the government, regardless of recurring media reports by the Minister of Information about “’negligible repercussions’ due to the police suppression of ?some’ demonstrations,” as he relayed to the Jazeera T.V. this morning.

The Organization is equally saddened by the destruction of shops and other properties of citizens by demonstrators. At this point, SHRO-Cairo affirms in the strongest terms possible the continuous appeals by all popular organizations and civil society groups to the demonstrators in Khartoum, Omdurman, Kharrtoum North, Juba, and the other cities of the country to abide-by the law in performing peaceful demonstrations or assemblies.

Most particularly:

· The Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo Office asks the Minister of Interior and the Commander of the Armed Forces to issue immediate orders to their forces to stop using firearms against peaceful demonstrations or assemblies in the capital or any other place in Sudan.

· The Ministry of Interior and the General Command of the Army are required to issue clear statements on the deaths or injuries their forces committed against peaceful demonstrators in this day, the first of August, 2005. These formal statements should hold accountable all persons, official or not, who might be responsible for the reported deaths or injuries.

· The concerned authorities are equally required to refrain from arbitrary arrest or detention of citizens performing civil society or human rights activities or offering first aid or other necessary assistance for any injured or hurt party. The authorities must publicly state the number of arrests or detentions thus far enforced against peaceful demonstrators today.

SHRO-Cairo notes the government’s increasing expansion of stringent security measures that virtually amounted to a complete renewal of Emergency Law, despite the formal suspension of this notorious law by presidential decree most recently.

The Organization further notes, with grave concerns, the successive attacks by security forces and government political supporters against faculty and students of the Gezira University in Medani following the grave assaults on the Ahliya University in Omdurman that took place several weeks ago.

SHRO-Cairo is deeply concerned for the continuous arrests and/or detention of political activists, including the military personnel from Darfur who had been accused of a coup attempt among other detainees, despite a State’s general amnesty of political opponents and the ongoing peace negotiations between the government and the opposition parties.

Moreover, severe restrictions continue to restrict the free press, of which the Khartoum Monitor has been unlawfully censored for unlimited period of time.

To enhance the process of peace:

· SHRO-Cairo asks the Sudan Government to develop the peace climates in a positive way. This includes clear steps to ensure full freedom of the press.

· The Organization calls for the immediate release of all detained citizens from Khartoum jails or security clandestine places, including individuals or groups detained for political reasons.

· The government is further required to expedite the peace negotiations with the National Democratic Alliance, including the Darfur and the East rebels, as well as the other opposition groups, on the basis of a just and satisfactory national consensus that alone would lead to the establishment of a competent national government in the transition period.

· In the meantime, the Organization calls on the government and its police, armed forces, security groups and/or party supporters to ensure the lawful rights of people to exercise full freedom of assembly, demonstration, and the other means of expression – peacefully and indiscriminately, without violence, repression, or any use of force.