Sudan: Violent Crackdown Against Peaceful Demonstrators in Universities Campuses
Alkarama is deeply concerned by the ongoing repression against students and political opposition activists in diverse universities campuses across Sudan. This crackdown led to the arrest of dozens of students and the killing of at least two others by National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) officers in April 2016.
As a result of these grave violations, Alkarama and the Arab Coalition for Sudan (ACS) solicited various United Nations Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council asking them to intervene with the Sudanese authorities, particularly regarding the arbitrary execution of Abubakr Hassan Taha on 19 April and the arbitrary arrests and detentions of Mohamed Faroug Suliman Mahmoud and Murtada Ibrahim Idriss Habani since 23 April 2016.
Abubakr Hassan Taha's execution
On 19 April 2016, first-year engineering student Abubakr started a peaceful march in University of Kordofan's premises, along with other students, to present their pro-opposition list to the students' union, in view of elections that were supposed to take place on that day. The march was however quickly stopped by members of the NISS, who blocked them with pickup trucks. Then, without warning, the officers started to randomly shoot at them with live bullets, tagetting Abubakr in the head and wounding several others. Abubakr's corpse was then put in one of the pickup trucks that left for the nearest hospital, where he was officially declared dead.
His family filed complaints and requested that investigations be launched into his death but no steps were taken in this direction so far. In fact, under the National Security Act of 2010, NISS officers benefit from a form of immunity from prosecution since investigations can only be ordered by their superiors. As a consequence and to Alkarama's knowledge, no NISS officer has ever been interrogated over abuses committed on duty, including for cases of summary execution of civilians such as Abubakr.
Mohamed and Murtada arbitrarily arrested
University of Kordofan was not the only university to witness peaceful demonstrations organised on their sites in April 2016. Indeed, Khartoum University also was the scene to most of the demonstrations that occurred so far, even leading the authorities to close it until further notice. Demonstrations there were triggered by reports according to which the authorities were intending to lease out some of the university's buildings for tourism purposes therefore relocating students in other facilities.
Thus, Numerous demonstrations were organised throughout the month but were constantly repressed by the NISS and the police. On 23 April, Mohamed Faroug Suliman Mahmoud and Murtada Ibrahim Idriss Habani, two senior members of Sudanese opposition parties, went to the campus to peacefully demonstrate along with students. They were however arbitrarily arrested by plainclothes officers and dragged out of the demonstration. Transferred to the NISS facility in North Khartoum, they remained secretly detained there for several days until their relatives were eventually informed of their place of detention, although without having had the right to visit them.
As the NISS usually detains individuals without indicting them , Mohamed and Murtada could remain in detention for weeks without any judicial supervision. Furthermore, NISS are notorious for torturing and ill-treating political detainees and the two men's relatives fear that they could currently be subjected to such abuses, such as Babacar Moussa Issa, a political activist for whom Alkarama and ACS took an action following his arrest in September 2015.
In light of the current repression on university campuses across Sudan, Alkarama calls upon the Sudanese authorities to refrain from having recourse to force against peaceful demonstrators and to guarantee that they can freely express their opinions. An independent investigation must be launched into the death of Abubakr and Mohamed and Murtada released. The Sudanese authorities should take the opportunity of its recent Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the Human Rights Council to take effective measures as to the promotion and protection of human rights in the country and end the impunity for authors of fundamental rights' violations.
For more information or an interview, please contact the media team at media@alkarama.org (Tel: +41 22 734 1008).