Item 2: ID on the High Commissioner’s oral update on the situation of human rights in Sudan

Organisation: Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

Speaker: Claire Denman

Thank you, Mr President,

CSW thanks the High Commissioner for his update. We also welcome the new Designated Expert on Sudan and his important work.

Despite political dialogues, the military remains the de facto authority.

This interactive dialogue occurs days after the death of 15-year-old Ibrahim Majzoub, who was shot and killed by security personnel in Khartoum while participating in a peaceful demonstration; a stark reminder of the cost the Sudanese people continue to pay at the hands of a military that uses lethal force with impunity against those exercising their fundamental rights.

The designated expert has raised the need for security sector reform.

Arbitrary arrests and detention, the use of torture and an erosion of the rule of law have become commonplace.

In July 2022 four men in Darfur were charged with apostasy, despite its decriminalization in 2021. The men experienced torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, were threatened with the death penalty and remained under criminal investigation until September 2022, when the local prosecutor dismissed the charges.

In December 2022 a church was razed to the ground, reportedly by an army officer. When witnesses raised the matter with the police, they were prevented by the military from investigating, again illustrating that the military is using its position to further impunity, erode justice and undermine the rule of law.

We continue to call for accountability mechanisms not only for violations and deaths that have occurred since 25 October 2021, but for earlier incidents, including attacks on protestors in June 2019.

We urge the Council to support the OHCHR and Designated Experts’ mandates.

Thank you.