Seeking Justice for Mrs. Hawaa Mohamed Issa

Mr. Mohammed Ali Almardi,
Minister of Justice and Attorney General,
Ministry of Justice,
PO BOX 744,
Khartoum,
Sudan.

Dear Minister,

Seeking Justice for Mrs. Hawaa Mohamed Issa


We, the undersigned, write to express our serious concern over the gross violation of the human and constitutional rights of Mrs. Hawaa Mohamed Issa (40 years), during the investigation of the murder case of the late Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed.

On September 4, 2007, Akhir Lahza daily newspaper reported that during the court proceedings of the murder case of the late Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed, Mrs. Hawaa Mohamed Issa, whose son, Saibr Zakaria one of the accused in the case, said that she was arrested and detained for 33 days last year November 2006. During the course of the investigation, the case investigators resorted to unethical, dishonorable and dehumanizing techniques, by stripping Mrs. Hawaa Mohamed Issa naked in front of her son in order to force him to confess to a role in the murder crime.

This gross violation of Mrs. Hawaa Mohamed Issas rights should not be tolerated or condoned. The perpetrators of this violation should be held accountable for their action in line with Sudans national and international obligations. Article 33 of Sudans Interim National Constitution article clearly states that: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Sudan is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which prohibits in article 7 the use of torture or other inhuman or degrading treatment, and imposes obligations on states to investigate and prosecute such violations.

We hereby urge your Excellency, President Omer Hassan Ahmed Al Bashir, First Vice President, Salva Kiir, Assistant to the President Mr. Muni Arko Minawe, the Minister of Interior, members of the National Assembly, and the Advisory Council for Human Rights, to take immediate action to investigate this violation of Hawaa Mohamed Issas rights, and to prosecute those responsible.
We urge you immediately to take the following actions:

1- Order a full investigation of the arrest, detention and torture of Mrs. Hawaa Mohamed Issa.
2- Bring officers responsible before a competent and independent tribunal, guarantee due process at all times.
3- Immediately enforce article 33 of the Sudan Interim National Constitution, to provide protection against torture and inhuman treatment for all detainees, and provide public assurances to that effect.
4- Guarantee the adherence of law enforcement officers to the rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights in the Interim Constitution.
5- Ensure that human and citizenship rights for all Sudanese are guaranteed and respected regardless of gender, race, regional origin, or economic status.


Addresses:

Mr. Muhammad Ali AlMaradhi
Minister of Justice and Attorney General
Ministry of Justice
PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan
Fax: 011 249 183 780796 (Please mark, "FAO
Minister of Justice")
Email: [email protected]

Dr Abdel Moneim Osman Taha
Rapporteur, Advisory Council for Human Rights
Khartoum, Sudan
Email: [email protected]