According to the information received, while Mr. Nayif Mohamed Hamid was released on September 12, 2007, Messrs. Nazmi Mohamed Hamid, Nayif Mohamed Hamid, Al Khatib Mohamed Elsir, Maisara Izzeldin Mohamed Munowar, Faroug Nuri, Hisham Abbas, Daoud Suliman and Isam Mohamed Fagir were released on September 13, 2007.
The Observatory welcomes the release of Messrs. Nazmi Mohamed Hamid, Nayif Mohamed Hamid, Al Khatib Mohamed Elsir, Maisara Izzeldin Mohamed Munowar, Faroug Nuri, Hisham Abbas, Daoud Suliman and Isam Mohamed Fagir.
However, these arbitrary arrests and detentions are a flagrant illustration of constant acts of harassment and repression against CABKD members.
Background information
Between August 27 and 29, 2007, the following members of the Committee Against the Building of the Kajbar were arrested in Dongola, the capital of the Northern Province of Sudan: Mr. Nazmi Mohamed Hamed, Mr. Nayif Mohamed Hamed, his brother, Mr. Al Khatib Mohamed Elsir, Mr. Maisara Izzeldin Mohamed Munowar, and Mr. Faroug Nuri. In addition, Mr. Hisham Abbas was arrested in Wadi Halfa City while travelling to Egypt, and Messrs. Daoud Suliman and Isam Mohamed Fagir were arrested in Kerma, before being transferred to Dongola.
Until September 14, 2007, all men, except Mr. Hisham Abbas, who was detained in Wadi Halfa, were detained in Dongola, under the control of the National Intelligence and Security Forces (NISS).
Furthermore, between August 27 and August 29, 2007, the following members of the Committee were also arrested, before being released shortly after : Mr. Osman Ibrahim, Spokesperson of the Committee and Mr. Ezzeldeen Idris, a member of the Committee in Farraig; Mr. Abdel Hakim Nasor, a lawyer and a member of the Committee; Mr. Mamoun Abdel Aziz, a member of the Committee in Karma, who handed himself to the security forces in Karma after they arrested his brother, Mr. Abdel Razig; and Mr. Samil Mohamed Samil,.
Action requested:
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Nazmi Mohamed Hamid, Mr. Nayif Mohamed Hamid, Mr. Al Khatib Mohamed Elsir, Mr. Maisara Izzeldin Mohamed Munowar, Mr. Faroug Nuri, Mr. Hisham Abbas, Mr. Rami Hassan Farah, Mr. Daoud Suliman, Mr. Isam Mohamed Fagir, Mr. Osman Ibrahim, Mr. Ezzeldeen Idris, Mr. Abdel Hakim Nasor, Mr. Mamoun Abdel Aziz, and Mr. Abdel Razig, and of all defenders involved in the campaign against the building of the Kajbar Dam;
ii. Ensure in all circumstances that above-mentioned persons as well as all Sudanese human rights defenders involved in the campaign against the building of the Kajbar Dam be able to carry out their work without unjustified hindrance;
iii. Put an end to all acts of harassment against all Sudanese human rights defenders;
iv. Conform in all circumstances with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, especially its above-mentioned Articles 1 and 6.b, as well as its Article 12.2, which provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or 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”;
vi. More generally, ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments ratified by Sudan.
Addresses:
* His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, Presidential Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 183 782541 / 249 183 783 223
* His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, First Vice-President, People’s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 249 11 779977 / 771025
* His Excellency Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Vice-President, People’s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 249 183 77 10 25
* Mr Mohamed Ali Al-Mardi, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan; Fax: + 249 183 78 07 96
* Mr Lam Akol Ajawin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs/External Relations, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 249 183 77 93 83
* Mr. Al Zubeir Beshir Taha, Minister of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Interior, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 249 183 774339 / + 249 183 776554
* Dr Yasir Sid Ahmed, Head of the Advisory Council for Human Rights PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 183 770 883
* Dr Abdelmuneim Osman Mohamed Taha, Advisory Council for Human Rights, Rapporteur, PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: +249 183 77 08 83; Email: human_rights_sudan@hotmail.com
* Human Rights Committee, The Peoples Hall Omdurman, Sudan, Fax: + 249 187 560950, E-mail: info@sudan-parliament.org
* Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sudan to the United Nations in Geneva, Avenue Blanc 47, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, Tel: +41 22 731 26 63, Fax: +41 22 731 26 56, Email: mission.sudan@bluewin.ch / mission.sudan@ties.itu.int
* The Embassy of Sudan in Brussels , 124; 1050 Brussels. Tel.:0032 (2) 647 51 59 / 0032 (2) 647 94 94, Fax: 0032 (2) 648 34 99, Email: sudanbx@yahoo.com
Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Sudan in your respective country.
***
Geneva - Paris, September 14, 2007
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.
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E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
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