On 28 January 2009, Mohammed Al-Sari, a Sudanese citizen, was convicted to 17 years in prison on charges of having attempted to assist the ICC to investigate a Minister suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. Mohammed Al-Sari was arrested in June, accused of "collecting and intending to leak police records and documents", in particular information about special police forces in Darfur, which are under the supervision of Ahmed Haroun, current Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, who is sought by the ICC. The judge responsible for the case at the court in Khartoum North found him guilty of spying, conspiracy and threat to national security.
"This conviction sadly illustrates the campaign of President Al-Bashir and the Sudanese government against the ICC and those it perceives as supporting the International Criminal Court and justice in Darfur", declared Souhayr Belhassen, President of FIDH.
Earlier this month, Sudan’s prominent opposition leader Hassan Al-Turabi was arrested after he called on Al-Bashir to surrender to the ICC for atrocities in Darfur. Last November, three prominent human rights defenders were also arrested and two of them tortured, on account that they were cooperating with the ICC [1].
This crackdown on Sudanese suspected of "supporting" the ICC, is the Sudanese government’s reaction to the ICC Prosecutor’s request, submitted to the ICC judges on 14 July 2008, to issue an arrest warrant against President al-Bashir. The judges’ decision to confirm or not this request is expected to be handed down shortly. Previously, on 27 April 2007, the ICC issued two arrest warrants against Ahmed Harun (current Minister for Humanitarian Affairs) and Ali Kushayb (Janjaweed militia leader). FIDH has repeteadly denounced the fact that the Sudanese authorities have not arrested these two men, and have even been openly protecting them.
FIDH urges the international community to react promptly to protect the victims of such harassement and condemn the campaign led by President Al-Bashir. The international community should support the efforts of the ICC to bring justice to Sudan and strongly condemn all attempts of the Sudanese government to impede justice for victims of the deadly conflict in Darfur.
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See also herafter the press release of a Sudanese civil society initiative, including 50 civil society and rights activists, released on 4 February 2009
"Seizing the final opportunity": Leading members of Sudanese civil society call for national conference
(KHARTOUM, 4 FEBRUARY 2009) - Representatives of independent Sudanese civil society organizations, media and rights activists called on Sudanese government, political actors and civil society members to urgently convene a conference to discuss the crisis brought on by the Sudanese government’s reaction to the charges brought by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court against the President of Sudan.
In a statement [2] presented at a press conference in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, civil society, media and rights activists said reactions within Sudan to the possible indictment of President Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC) had "generated confusion and uncertainty" forcing the Government into confrontation with both its own people and the international community. There was an urgent need as a result for all political forces within Sudan to come together to discuss the situation "holistically" with the support of those "regional and international stakeholders directly contributing to peace, justice and democracy."
According to the statement, the proposed conference is a response to several concerns about the direction Sudan is heading at this critical crossroads, just two years before the CPA interim period will expire. The statement calls explicitly for the beginning of "a comprehensive process for reconciliation and healing throughout Sudan," noting in particular that there had "yet to be a genuine peace process for Darfur that addresses the rights of Darfurians and brings them justice."
The statement describes the core objective of the conference as "a broad consensus within Sudan on a course of action that will lead Sudan out of its current crisis" rooted within the framework of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). This is expected to include agreement on a practical strategy to "consolidate peace processes and democratic transition; ensure a just and comprehensive solution to the Darfur crisis; respond to the demands of the marginalized regions in a genuine federal system; and address chronic social problems such as poverty, poor living conditions for displaced persons, unemployment, corruption, gender and racial discrimination."
Today’s call for the conference comes at a time of increasing crackdown by Sudanese authorities on those perceived to support the ICC. In November, three human rights activist were arrested and two of them seriously tortured by government security agents. In December, security agents arrested and questioned a prominent member of an opposition party.
Participants in the press conference emphasized that the civil society initiative has the support of the silent majority of Sudanese, including political parties, who are terrified by the NCP’s reactions to the ICC. The initiative representatives at the press conference expressed the hope that both the proposal itself, and the courage required to launch the initiative, would contribute to a new momentum and challenge the current stalemate. They called on "all democratic voices" at home and abroad, to lend their support to the initiative. Speakers at the conference concluded, "We know the only way forward is to openly discuss these issues and transform challenges into a window of hope."