Sudan says UN human rights expert has resigned

September 4, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Ambassador Dafalla al-Haj Osman, a member of Sudan’s Advisory Council for Human Rights (ACHR), has claimed that the UN independent expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan, Mashood Baderin, has tendered his resignation.

Osman, who was addressing an ACHR meeting on Thursday, said some believe that Baderin came under a lot of pressure from unspecified circles to dictate how he approaches his mandate which was contrary to what he wanted.

The Sudanese official disclosed that the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) secretariat posted an opening for Baderin’s position adding that they were presented with three candidates.

He stressed that Sudan protested with the UNHRC on the ground that this procedure violates the usual protocol which would see the expiration of Baderin’s mandate first before making a decision either on renewing for him or appointing a replacement.

“For us, the three candidates are as if they do not exist,” Osman said.

The ACHR member said he expects the European Union (EU) countries and the US to table two separate draft resolutions that are “prejudiced” against Khartoum during UNHRC meetings this month. He said that Washington’s draft text contain “negative signals” on the grounds that human rights situation in Sudan has deteriorated.

Sudan is working to contain these attempts he said, with a counter resolution.

He pointed out that they told EU representatives in Sudan that the government will not accept any unrealistic attempt to push a negative resolution during the next UNHRC session, explaining that they reminded them with the ongoing national dialogue process.

“Any attempt to convey an unrealistic image we will have another opinion,” Osman said.

Meanwhile, the minister of justice and ACHRC chairman, Mohammed Bushara Dousa, said they received the report of the independent expert that will be submitted to UNHRC meeting in Geneva this month adding that they drafted their response and observations.

Dousa said they decided that they want to get out of UNHRC special mandates but acknowledged that they will face some of the allegations, statements and reports submitted by parties he did not identify that they would respond to.

He also admitted that events relating to the war in some parts of Sudan would naturally cause human rights violations.

The Chairman of the parliamentary subcommittee on Legislation and Justice said previously that there are attempts to bring Sudan under Article 4 and appoint a special rapporteur instead of one that offers expert technical consulting.

(ST)