This joint submission by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) and CSW-Nigeria (CSW-N) seeks to highlight violations of the righ to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and related human rights which have taken place in the Republic of the Sudan during the reporting period.
During its second Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Sudan accepted five recommendations relating to FoRB, including to revise the 1991 Penal Code, abolish apostasy laws and to ensure the right to freedom of religion or belief and the human rights of ethnic and religious minorities in line with international human rights standards. Sudan noted a recommendation to “adopt measures in the legislative and political spheres, including appropriate budget allocation, to guarantee, prevent and eradicate discrimination on religious grounds, ethnic composition, gender or sexual orientation.”
Significant political change has taken place since the previous review, following nationwide demonstrations which began in December 2018. Throughout the first half of 2019, citizens from diverse backgrounds came together to call for systematic reforms. Despite being met with violent force, the protests resulted in the deposition of Sudan’s president of nearly 30 years, Omar al Bashir, who was removed in April 2019 and replaced by a Transitional Military Council (TMC).