Sudan - A Call to Protect Human Rights During Independence Vote

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Sudan: A Call to Protect Human Rights During
Independence Vote

07 January, 2011 | By Joe DeCapua (VOA)
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Amnesty International is raising concerns about possible human
rights violations during Sudan’s independence vote.

Amnesty researcher Rania Rajji, who recently visited the region,
says, “The main concern…is growing on the experience that you
have of Sudan, which is a culture of human rights violations,
especially when you see the example of the elections.”

Sudan held presidential and parliamentary elections in April 2010.

“In the north, we have obviously the National Intelligence and
Security Service, which is known to detain, harass and intimidate
opposition groups and minorities. And in the south, during the
elections, you saw harassment and intimidation of voters and
members of the opposition by the security and police forces.”

Don’t forget Darfur

Amnesty says it’s also concerned that the independence referendum
will draw attention away from the situation in Darfur.

“We see that the international community is at present focusing on
the referendum,” she says, “and considering it a solution to human
rights in Sudan, which it is not. Because the conflict in Darfur has
intensified in the past month with attacks on civilians during
December, while the peace negotiations are failing.

Amnesty is calling on the United Nations and the international
community to view Sudan as a whole when it comes to human
rights. Rajji says, “(They) have to invest in the solution of Darfur
and a cessation of hostilities in Darfur as the referendum carries on.”

No election observers, but…

Amnesty International does not have election observers assigned to
southern Sudan during the referendum.

“Amnesty does not involve itself in electoral rights and the right to
vote. However, we consider human rights to be at the core of any
election or referendum in the sense that voters have to right to place
their vote without intimidation. So, what we have done is send a
human rights briefing to international referendum monitors asking
them to report any human rights violations that occur during the
referendum.”

Amnesty says it contacted the governments in both north and south
Sudan prior to the vote.

Rajji says the governments are being asked “to make it clear that
there will be no toleration of any human rights violations…that there
are mechanisms in place to report any harassment and intimidation.”

She also says there’s a history of harassment of southerners still
living in the north by the Khartoum government.

“We have asked them not to intimidate any voters,” she says, “and
to just cease any activity of harassment by the national security and
other forces in the north.”

Courtesy