Sudan
04.07.03
Urgent Interventions

Sudan : disappearance of Mr. Gazi Suliman

URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY

SDN 001/ 0603 / OBS 031
Arbitrary arrests / Disappearance / Freedom of expression
Sudan
July 4th 2003

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your urgent intervention
in the following situation in Sudan.

Brief description of the facts:

The Observatory has been informed by the Sudan Organization Against
Torture (SOAT), of the arrest on 2 July, by the National Security
Agency (NSA), of Gazi Suliman, a lawyer and Chairperson of the Sudan
Human Rights Group.

According to the information received, Mr. Suliman was arrested from
his home at 8 am by a number of individuals from the NSA. He was then
transported to the NSA Political section near Al- Faroq cemetery
where he was questioned about the Khartoum Declaration (E'laan El
Khartoum'). This document was signed by 18 leading political parties,
14 civil society groups and 78 prominent individuals in support of
the IGAD Peace Process , the Machakos Protocol (July 2002) and the
Cairo Declaration, calling for Khartoum to become the national
"secular" capital of Sudan, respecting the diversity of Sudanese
citizens irrespective of race, gender, religion or political
affiliation.

Mr. Suliman was also interrogated on the subject of the press
conference that was scheduled to be held at his office later that day
to officially announce the signing of the Khartoum Declaration.
However, NSA officers surrounded the office in an attempt to prevent
the press conference from taking place, detaining all those who were
present for one hour before transferring them to NSA headquarters and
releasing them later on in the day.

At 10 am, following two hours of interrogation, Mr. Suliman was
returned to his home for the purpose of collecting a small number of
personal belongings and to inform his family that he was being taken
to Kober Prison, before he was taken away once more by NSA officers.
Since this time, family members have visited both Kober Prison and
NSA headquarters demanding to see Mr. Suliman, only to be told that
he is not being held at either of those places.

The Observatory is extremely concerned by the arrest and further
disappearance of Mr. Suliman and fears for his physical and
psychological integrity.

The Observatory recalls that Mr. Gazi Suliman was detained during 3
months from December 2000 to February 2001 for defending political
opponents as a lawyer, and was again arrested one day in May 2002
during which he was questioned on his activities and requested to
dissolve SVTG (See annual reports 2001 and 2002 of the Observatory).


Action requested:

Please write to the authorities of Sudan urging them to:

§ take all measures to find the whereabouts of Mr. Gazi Suliman,
release him and guarantee his physical and psychological integrity;
§ put an end to any kind of repression and intimidation against human
rights lawyers in Sudan;
§ order an immediate investigation into his disappearance, in order
to identify those responsible, bring them to trial ans apply the
penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
§ conform to the provisions of the Declaration on Humans Rights
Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on
December 9, 1998, in particular article 1, which states that
"everyone has the right, individually or in association with others,
to promote the protection and realization of human rights and
fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels";
article 12.2 which provides that "the State shall take all necessary
measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of
everyone, individually or in association with others, against any
violence, threats, retaliation, de facto o de jure adverse
discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a
consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred
to in the present Declaration.";
§ ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights
standards.


Addresses:

· His Excellency Ambassador Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim, Permanent
Mission of Sudan to the United Nations in Geneva, Case Postal 335,
1211 Geneva 19, fax :
0041 (0) 22 731 26 56, email: mission.sudan@ties.itu.int.

· His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President
of the Republic of Sudan, People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum,
Sudan, Telex: 22385
PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD, fax : + 24911 783223

· Mr Ali Osman Yasin, Minister of Justice and Attorney General,
Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan. Telex:22459 KHRJA SD or 22461
KHRJA SD (via Ministry of
Foreign Affairs), fax : + 24911 788941

· Mr Mustafa Osman Ismail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, fax : + 24911 779383

Given the lack of working fax numbers for the government officials
above, please send the appeals by standard mail and also write to the
embassies of Sudan in your
respective country.

Paris - Geneva, July 4th 2003

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this
appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the
protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete
support in their time of need. The Observatory was the winner of the
1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
E-mail: observatoire@iprolink.ch
Tel and fax FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 / 01 43 55 18 80
Tel and fax OMCT + 4122 809 49 39 / 41 22 809 49 29