We,human rights defenders from 45 African States, and 33 partners from across the world, gathered at the All-Africa Human Rights Defenders Conference in Kampala, Uganda 20-23 April 2009, organised by the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (EHAHRD-Net)
Deplore the grave humanitarian and human rights situation in Darfur and the rest of Sudan, which is poised to deteriorate dramatically with the government of Sudan’s recent decision to shut down three national human rights organisation, including the Khartoum Center for Human Rights and Environmental Development and to expel 13 international humanitarian organisations, as well as the continuing harassment and targeting of human rights defenders,including journalists.
We call upon the African Union, all the African states and the international community to show solidarity with the victims of the conflict in Darfur. The conflict has already claimed 300,000 lives and forced more than 2.5 million people from their homes. Yet, the victims have not seen any effective response to their repeated call for peace and justice.
Indeed we believe that justice is an essential element to secure sustainable peace in the Darfur region and the whole of the Sudan, therefore justice should not be compromised by peace. Sustainable peace cannot be achieved and secured without a proper justice process involving all parties concerned.
We deplore Sudan government failure to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC). We call the Sudanese government to comply with their obligations under UN security council resolution 1593, by implementing the arrest warrants issued for Mr. Ahmed Haroun and Ali Koshib and to fully cooperate with the ICC endictment issued against President Omar Albashir.
We regret to acknowledge that the Sudan government has continued targeting human rights defenders,inculding journalists, individually and collectively, accusing them of cooperation with the ICC, with the view of prosecuting and condemning them to long-term imprisonment.
We urge the Government of Sudan to :
– Reverse their decisions regarding the expulsion of international humanitarian organisations and the closure of national human rights NGOs, in conformity with regional and international instruments, including in particular the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, as well as the Security Council’s resolution and presidential statement imposing an obligation on Sudan to cooperate with the ICC, more generally to respect and protect the rights of Human Rights Defenders, including journalists, by respecting and protecting their fundamental right to form associations, to search and impart information, to express themselves, and to stop targeting HRDs and their organisations
-put an end to harrasement and intimidation acts,attacks,arrests,detentions of Sudanese Human Rights Defenders and activists, including journalists.
– and to end the cycle of impunity of serious human rights violations perpetrators.
Finally, we urge all parties to the conflict to engage in a genuine and inclusive political process, to end the suffurings of the Darfuri people.
