[Deathpenalty] death penalty news-----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Nov. 27



SUDAN:

PRESS RELEASE

Case SDN 261107/ Case SDN 261107.CC - The International Secretariat of the
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) requests your URGENT
intervention in the following situation in Sudan.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudan
Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), a member of the SOS-Torture network,
about the death sentences handed down to ten individuals, including a
16-year-old boy, by the Khartoum Criminal Court on 10 November 2007 in
connection with the murder of journalist Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed.
According to the defence lawyer in the case, Mr. Kamal Omer, the ruling
was based on confessions extrated under torture.

The names of those sentenced to death are as follow:

1) Ishag Alsanousi Gomaa (male, 72 years old, of the Fur tribe)

2) Abdul Hay Omar (male, of the Fur tribe)

3) Al-Tayeb Abdul Aziz Ishag (male, 16 years old, of the Fur tribe)

4) Mustafa Adam Suleiman (male, of the Masaleet tribe)

5) Mohamed Abdelnabi Adam (male, of the Birgid tribe)

6) Sabir Zakaria Adam (male, of the Fur tribe)

7) Hassan Adam Fadul (male, of the Fur tribe)

8) Adam Ibrahim Alhag (male, of the Fur tribe)

9) Gamaleddin Eisa (male, of the Fur tribe)

10) Abdul Mageed Ali Abdul Mageed (male, of the Fur tribe)

According to the information received, lawyer Kamal Omer said the defence
submitted evidence to the court that his clients had been tortured but
that this did not elicit a result. He reportedly also said that he sought
to submit three petitions to allow steps to be taken to sue the persons
alleged to have tortured his clients, but that the court had also not
responded to these petitions by the time the judgement was announced. He
is reportedly currently preparing to appeal the judgement.

According to the same information, the ten individuals were among dozens
of Darfuris, including women and children, who were detained after the
discovery on 6 September 2006 of the beheaded body of Mr. Mohamed Taha
Mohamed Ahmed, the publisher and editor of al-Wifaq newspaper who had
reportedly angered Islamists by questioning the lineage of the Prophet
Muhammad and had also reportedly criticised Darfuri armed movements and
questioned the stories of sexual violence against Darfuri women. Nearly
all of the 73 people detained in connection with the case were allegedly
tortured in custody by members of the police, intelligence and security
services. Most were eventually reportedly released. Only nine who faced
trial were acquitted on the grounds that the case against them was based
on confessions extracted under duress. While the International Secretariat
of OMCT welcomes the acquittal of these nine individuals and that the
court applied international rules, which state that any statement which is
established to have been made as result of torture shall not be invoked as
evidence in any proceedings, it remains very much concerned about the
sentences of the remaining ten above mentioned individuals.

Indeed, the International Secretariat of OMCT expresses its grave concern
about the inhuman consequences of the judgement. OMCT is particularly
concerned that the sentences are allegedly based on confessions extracted
under torture. OMCT recalls that Sudan is a State party to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which
prohibits cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. In line with their
obligations under this treaty, it is incumbent on the Sudanese authorities
to consider seriously any allegations of torture and ill-treatment made by
the victim, and to undertake a thorough investigation in this regard.
Furthermore, OMCT strongly supports the principles enshrined in the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) ratified by Sudan, and in
particular article 37 which forbids the imposition of "capital punishment
(...) for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age
(...)".

1) Requested Action

Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:

i.Guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the above
mentioned individuals;

ii.Guarantee access to their families and lawyers as well as guarantee any
necessary medical assistance;

iii.Cancel the death penalty sentences and declare void the judgments on
account of evidence coerced under torture;

iv.Order a thorough and impartial investigation into these events, in
particular into the allegations of torture, in order to identify all those
responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative
sanctions as provided by law;

v.Guarantee that adequate compensation is awarded to all 10 individuals;

vi.Introduce a moratorium on executions as immediate steps towards full
abolition of the death penalty in law as provided by GA Resolution
A/C.3/62/L.29 entitled "Moratorium on the use of death penalty";

vii.Guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms
throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international
humanitarian law and human rights standards.

Addresses

His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the
Republic of Sudan, Presidential Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax:
+249 183 783 223

His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, First Vice-President, Peoples Palace,
PO Box 281 , Khartoum , Sudan , Fax: + 249 11 779977 / 771025

His Excellency Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Vice-President, Peoples 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 77 93 83

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

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 at bluewin.ch /
mission.sudan at ties.itu.int

The Embassy of Sudan in Brussels, Av. F.D. Roosevelt, 124; 1050 Brussels .
Tel.:0032 (2) 647 51 59 / 0032 (2) 647 94 94, Fax: 0032 (2) 648 34 99,
Email: sudanbx at yahoo.com

Please also write to the embassies of Sudan in your respective country.

***

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal
in your reply.

(source: World Organization Against Torture)