Al-Burhan Issues Dialogue Guarantees, Including Dismissal of Political Opinion Cases and Temporary Immunity for Participants

Sudan’s Minister of Justice, Dr. Abdalla Dirif, said that the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC), General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, has issued clear written guarantees in response to the Sudanese-Sudanese Dialogue Initiative, including the dismissal of cases related to political opinions and the granting of temporary procedural immunity to participants throughout their involvement in the consultations and dialogue.

The Preparatory Committee for the Sudanese-Sudanese Dialogue announced on Sunday the launch of consultations aimed at creating a conducive environment and facilitating meetings with political and civilian forces, paving the way for a shared vision for the launch of an inclusive dialogue inside Sudan.

The Initiative called on all political, civilian and community forces to take part in preliminary consultations on the conditions for a national dialogue, the concerns of the parties involved, the guarantees required, and the criteria for participation and representation.

Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum, Dirif said the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council had responded to the Initiative’s request for clear and written guarantees for participants.

He explained that the guarantees include the dismissal of public-rights cases filed by any state institution against Sudanese nationals inside or outside the country where such cases relate to an act attributed to them or a statement they made as a political opinion. All charges associated with such cases against those covered by the decision will also be dropped.

He added that the guarantees also provide participants in the consultations and dialogue with temporary procedural immunity, preventing criminal proceedings from being initiated against them from the time they enter the country to participate until their departure after completing their participation.

The Minister of Justice confirmed that the guarantees also prohibit the initiation of criminal proceedings against any person because of an opinion expressed during the consultations or dialogue, provided that the opinion is directly or indirectly related to the dialogue or to issues discussed, or expected to be discussed, during the process.

Dirif said the guarantees include creating a general climate of freedoms that allows all Sudanese, both inside and outside the country, to express their views on the dialogue, while providing the necessary protection for participants and preventing any attempt to influence the dialogue’s outcomes through the use of state authority.

He stressed that the state’s role is limited to providing the necessary guarantees, facilitation and protection in a manner that safeguards the independence of the dialogue and ensures Sudanese ownership of its outcomes, without interference in determining its participants, agenda or results.