Amnesty International (AI) has called on the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) to set up an independent monitoring mechanism for human rights in the wake of a military coup in Sudan.
In a statement addressed to the UN Human Rights Council, AI deplored the continued human rights violations witnessed since the military junta took over.
The Sudanese military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, took control of the government on 25 October, 2021.
The HRC had earlier condemned the coup and requested the high commissioner to designate an expert to monitor the human rights situation until the restoration of civilian-led government in Sudan.
AI said Sudanese security forces have a history of violent crackdowns and human rights violations likely to increase as the Sudanese people use street protests to register their displeasure over the coup.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reported that the country’s security forces often resort to excessive and lethal force against peaceful protesters.
‘These include the arrest and arbitrary detention of members of the civilian coalition, including some in unknown locations; unlawful use of force including sometimes lethal force against those peacefully taking to the streets to protest the army’s takeover; and restrictions on the internet’, the AI statement read.
‘Such violations run counter to Sudan’s ambitions for a future where human rights of all are respected; they amount to a betrayal of the hopes and sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of Sudanese’.
Reports have it that activists have announced a schedule of protests leading up to mass rallies on 13 November under the slogan ‘no negotiation, no partnership, no compromise’.
‘We stand in solidarity with Sudanese civil society organisations calling for their rights to be respected, protected, and fulfilled. We join their call for rapid and resolute action by the Human Rights Council’, AI said.
‘The council has a crucial role to play in ensuring heightened and sustained scrutiny of the human rights situation in Sudan, including by setting up an independent monitoring mechanism and ensuring effective coordination with the regional human rights bodies’.
AI urged the council to also call upon military authorities to respect and fulfil human rights, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and withdraw military forces from all law enforcement operations.
Source: Amnesty International
Photo source: AP/Marwan Ali
