“UNACCEPTABLE”… Government Rebukes UN Special Rapporteur on Sudan
The Government of Sudan informed the UN Designated Expert on human rights in Sudan, Radhouane Nouicer, of the government’s desire to end the UN fact-finding mission to Sudan. At the same time, the government protested the expert’s indications of human rights violations, arrests, and harsh sentences by the Sudanese judiciary.
The government, through Justice Minister Abdullah Dirif, asserted that Sudanese criminal laws are consistent with the constitution and international conventions.
The National Human Rights Mechanism, headed by the Minister of Justice, met with the expert on human rights in Sudan.
Dirif told Nouicer that lawsuits are filed based on a complaint or report, and legal action is taken against the suspect, who has the right to challenge the proceedings during the investigation and trial stages, as stipulated by law.
He stated that the Ministry of Justice provides legal aid to any accused person through advisors and lawyers in coordination with the Bar Association, and that no defendant person has been tried without being given the opportunity to defend themselves. This is a requirement of a fair trial to which the judicial bodies, particularly the Sudan judiciary, is committed. He added, “We informed the expert that open discussion of these violations without detailed information is unacceptable and unhelpful.”
The minister pledged to review the matter if they were told of information related to an accused person who did not receive a fair trial.
Dirif asked Nouicer to tell them if he had information on specific incidents. He continued, “We cannot decide on an unknown incident.”
The meeting addressed the issues raised by the expert regarding the protection of civilians, humanitarian issues, rights and freedoms, and some references related to trials.
The Minister of Justice said, “We explained to the expert that we, as a government, have multiple mechanisms working within the framework of protecting civilians. In addition to the national human rights mechanism, we have an advisory council for the protection of civilians.