Escalating government crackdown on protesters sparks greater safety concerns
Authoritiesare using the current social unrest and peaceful protests against risingcommodity prices as a pretext to silence political opponents, activists, humanrights defenders, journalists and students resorting to arbitrary detention andtransfer to remote Darfur prisons. The African Centre for Justice and PeaceStudies (ACJPS), trusted OMCT partner organization, reported it also fears those detained may undergo tortureand ill-treatment by the Government’s National Intelligence and SecurityService (NISS).
The NGO isparticularly concerned for the lives of the 79 people who remain disappeared after 131 activists were arrested and held incommunicado in Sudan during peaceful protests that took place between 13 and 21 January.
The NISS indeed reportedly violentlyrepressed the protests, using tear gas, sticksand water hosepipes todisperse the crowds, leading to the arrest of over 170 individuals since 11January, including political opposition leaders, students andhuman rights defenders. A student activist was killed and several others injured on 7January 2018, after security forces attacked a secondary school in West Darfurduring a demonstration against the soaring cost of bread. A new protest is scheduled for tomorrow, 31 January, at the Al Shabia square inKhartoum Bahrim, Sudan’s third-largest city.
“The fact that these events are going onamidst discussion about the presidential candidate for the 2022 elections bythe ruling party indicates that the current unrest in Sudan is trivial to theruling party and they will do whatever it takes to remain in power,” saidACJPS’ Human Rights Monitoring Director in the report published today.
Such police violence is not new. In 2013 some200 people were killed for protesting against rising fuel prices . The Sudanese Government has in recent years regularly quashed protestsagainst the removal of subsidies on commodities as part of austerity measures aimedat curbing spiraling inflation and boosting the economy.
The election of the country’s President,Omar al-Bashir, to a third term in 2015 was marred by a boycott from the mainopposition parties amid corruption claims. He has had two arrest warrantsissued against him by the InternationalCriminal Court (ICC) since 2009 for genocide and crimes against humanity inDarfur.
Women human rights defenders were alsoamong those targeted in this latest wave of repression of popular dissent. Amal Habani, coordinator of the No OppressionAgainst Women Initiative in Sudan and winner of an Amnesty International award forwomen human rights defenders in 2014, was arrested on 16 January and beaten with anelectric rod during interrogation. Nahid Jabrallah, Director of the Sima Centre for Training andProtection of Women and Children's Rights, was also arrested on 19 January.They are both still in detention.
The country, which in 2005 emergedfrom a second civil war leading to the separation of the south into a separatecountry, also continues to suffer violence as a result of tribes and abusive militiagroups competing for scarce resources.
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) isa coalition of over 200 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs)fighting against torture, summary executions, enforced disappearances and allother cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and advocating better protectionfor human rights defenders around the world.
For further information, pleasecontact Marta Gionco, Human Rights Officer: mgi@omct.org +41 22 809 4935, or Lori Brumat,Head of Communications +41 22 809 49 33.