Human rights activists and NGO representatives attending the 6th African Union Summit in Khartoum were interrogated, intimidated and detained by local security officers, according to reports by Justice Africa and ARTICLE 19. Index on Censorship’s Sara Broderick reports (24-JAN-06).

ARTICLE 19 issued a statement on 23 January following the disruption of the meeting, questioning Sudan¡¯s suitability to chair the African Union and highlighting the country¡¯s poor free expression and human rights record, despite the government¡¯s stated intention to improve conditions in July 2005.

According to reports from both ARTICLE 19 and Justice Africa, as the meeting drew to a close, several Sudanese security officers entered the room, interrogating and intimidating participants. Women and Sudanese delegates in particular were subject to harrassment. The officers also confiscated conference materials such as laptops, cameras and delegates¡¯ papers. Diplomats of EU countries witnessed the event, which was not resolved for three hours until the EC Ambassador to Sudan, UN Secretary General¡¯s representative and other Western diplomats intervened, it was reported.

Several African NGOs gathered at the meeting, which took place on 23 January, ahead of the final day of the 6th African Union Summit in Khartoum (16-24 January), to establish consensus regarding strategies for promoting justice and peace on the continent.  The organisations included Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), Khartoum Centre for Environmental Development (KCED), Refugee Right Initiative (RRI), Inter Africa Group (IAG), Justice Africa (JA), Anti-Slavery International (ASI) and Amnesty International (AI).

The African Union was initiated to promote unity throughout Africa and to facilitate a move towards strong, independent socio-economic standing for the continent. Article 3 of the AU constitution outlines the union¡¯s dedication to human rights.  Amongst its objectives are the encouragement of ¡®international cooperation, taking due account of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights¡¯. One of the aims of the summit was to look specifically at the promotion of education and culture through stability and development in Africa.

In a letter to the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, director of Justice Africa, stated, ¡®To do this [disrupt the meeting] at a time when it is hosting an AU summit for which it has lobbied most intensely to host and chair is an affront to the progressive consensus in favour of human and people¡¯s rights, democratic governance and pro-people policies contained in the Charter of the African Union.¡¯  Dr. Abdul-Raheem added that the Sudanese government, which did not tolerate a ¡®peaceful meeting¡¯ of civil rights activists during an AU session, certainly ¡®could not be expected to uphold the rights of its own citizens when the summit ends.

Justice Africa and ARTICLE 19 urged the Sudanese government to publicly denounce the actions of the security officials and return any confiscated materials. They also appealed to the government not to retaliate against any journalists or activists criticising the summit or raising concern over the current human rights situation. They further called for the government to acknowledge the evolving human rights community and work throughout Africa, calling for a full endorsement of free expression, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly.