Sudan continues to curtail fundamental freedoms – UN
Mar 6, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese security services continue to resort to arbitary detention and torture against opponents and critics, jeopardising basic freedoms, a UN human rights rapporteur said Monday.
“Fundamental freedoms of expression and association continue to be curtailed by the National Intelligence Security Service and Military Intelligence,” said rapporteur Sima Samar as she wrapped up a 10-day visit ahead of a report to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva later this month.
“Human rights defenders, students, political opposition parties, internally displaced persons and tribal leaders continue to be targeted for their activities in violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the new Interim National Constitution which contains a bill of rights.”
Simar was referring to a January 2005 peace deal between the Khartoum regime and southern rebels that paved the way for a new power-sharing constitution with clauses protecting human rights.
She noted that the new charter provided for “reform of the National Security Service and the establishment of an independent human rights commission both of which are key for the protection of human rights in the Sudan.”
The UN rapporteur said she had received “credible reports that the security apparatus continue to arbitrarily arrest and detain and that detainees are subjected to torture and ill-treatment and denied pre-trial and fair trial guarantees”.
“These violations of the international human rights law are documented in Khartoum, Darfur, eastern Sudan and Northern Kordofan,” she added, referring to the capital and the three main areas outside the south where the government has faced armed rebellions.
Simar said she had been disappointed to see that despite last year’s peace agreement, the Sudanese people “see little or no change in their everyday lives.”
The human rights situation in the south “remains fragile” while the rights to education, health, housing and development “are almost inexistent”.
“Outside the towns insecurity continues with numerous armed groups moving freely, in addition to the existence of landmines.”
She said the security situation in the western Darfur region had “unfortunately deteriorated” since her last visit in October.
“Human rights abuses continue to be perpetrated by all parties in Darfur,” she said, noting that she had received reports of “attacks on villages this year which were carried out by armed militia and government forces”.
“Disturbingly, in many cases the perpetrators of human rights violations in Darfur are described as men in uniform who should provide security to the population,” she said.
The Khartoum authorities and their Arab militia allies have been fighting an ethnic minority rebellion in Darfur since February 2003.
Washington has said it regards their scorched earth tactics as tantamount to genocide.
Up to 300,000 people are estimated to have died and 2.4 million fled their homes.
(ST/AFP)