Independent United Nations Human Rights experts have demanded on Tuesday justice for the victims of the repression of the October 2021 coup d’état in Sudan.
The experts called for effective accountability in order to «break the cycle of violence» in the African country. To this end, they called for an independent justice mechanism to address human rights violations committed during the protests and provide adequate reparations.
«Prosecuting the perpetrators, including the high-level commanders responsible for these violations, is critical to ensuring Sudan’s sustainable transition to a credible civilian democratic government,» they said in a statement.
The UN team has received evidence over the past year with numerous testimonies of protesters killed, forcibly disappeared, injured, tortured and subjected to sexual and gender-based violence.
Joint security forces reportedly regularly used lethal force, either directly or by firing indiscriminately at protesters. The illegal tactics had left at least 117 protesters dead and approximately 7,700 protesters, including thousands of children, seriously injured, according to cases documented by Sudanese health professionals. Most of the injuries were caused by the use of firearms or tear gas canisters.
In addition, hundreds of people were arrested without due process for exercising their right to peaceful assembly. Among those arrested, numerous cases have suffered torture and ill-treatment in custody, while others were subjected to enforced disappearance.
There are also reports of women who have been victims of gender-based violence, including abuse and gang rape.
All of these human rights violations were committed under emergency measures in which the authorities granted extended powers and immunity from prosecution to security forces, reads the investigation team’s letter.
«If these atrocities are not addressed, if victims are once again denied justice and reparations, and if the voices of the protesters are not heard, Sudan’s cycle of political turmoil and brutal repression will continue, and the humanitarian crisis will deepen,» they added.
In this regard, the experts have called for «an independent, effective and adequately resourced accountability mechanism that is victim-centered.» Meanwhile, they urged that «serious steps» be taken to conclude the investigations allegedly underway by the national commission.
«The Sudanese authorities have an obligation to end impunity and provide reparations to the victims and their families,» the experts have reiterated, urging that compliance with these measures is «central to the ongoing political talks and the country’s transition process.»
