Category: Judicial

A Sudanese court in the southern part of Sudan has sentenced a woman to death by stoning after convicting her of charge of adultery, a Sudanese human rights group disclosed on Saturday.

On 26 June 2022, Maryam Alsyed Tiyrab, a 20-year woman has been sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery by Kosti Criminal Court in White Nile State.

According to the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), the sentence is yet to be approved by the High Court.

The ACJPS said the sentence violated international standards and called on the Sudanese authorities to overturn it.

Also, the group called for Tiyrab’s “unconditional release, and right to a fair trial”, citing several irregularities that tainted the investigation and the trial as well.

The 2019 Constitutional Declaration did not abrogate the death penalty including for Hudud crimes.

Under Islamic law, Hudud crimes – including apostasy, theft, highway robbery, adultery, slander, and drinking alcohol – carry penalties that include the amputation of hands and feet, flogging, and death.

The implementation of the Islamic Penal Code in Sudan by the former regime has drawn criticism from international human rights groups.

The Islamic penal code was part of the issues that were to be debated during the constitutional conference at the end of the transitional period.

However, the SPLM-N of Abdel Aziz al-Hilu however says it should be part of the peace agreement.

Source: Sudan Tribune

Three ministers have been summoned to appear before Lakes State Legislative Assembly next Monday over the continued detention of six teachers in a military barracks, a committee investigating the teachers’ grievances said.

The ministers summoned include education minister Nelson Makoi Makur, local government and law enforcement minister Chol Kuotwil Manhom, and legal affairs minister John Thon Kuat.

Ruben Majak Nhial, Ater Ariau, Mabor Mapuor, Makur Nyot, Marol Chol, and Ater Ahou have remained behind bars at the Panda Military barracks after more than 30 others were released. The teachers were put behind bars for more than a week by the state education minister Nelson Makoi Makur for demanding clearance of their salary arrears last month.

Speaking to the media shortly after a parliamentary session regarding the teachers on Thursday, MP Santino Wade Mabiech, a member of the committte, said they demand the release of the six teachers and the full payment of teachers’ salary arrears.

He added that during deliberations, the MPs resolved to summon the

three ministers.

“We give summons to the minister to come to the parliament so that he can explain and answer why the teachers are detained in the military barracks and not in the police, even we have decided to summon the one of local government and law enforcement agency, and the one for the legal and parliamentary affairs to come and explain to us why they detained six teachers in the military barrack instead of police,” he said.

The state caretaker information minister William Koji Kirjok said that the six teachers, once released, will be produced before a court of law to explain why they created such a fuss while the government and teachers work well together.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

In 2021, extreme weather events and natural hazards cost the world US$343 billion in economic losses, the fourth highest year on record. Of these losses, only 40 percent were compensated by an insurance policy.

The covered losses were primarily in high-income countries that are largely responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. Here, infrastructure and populations are better insured. When families can’t afford insurance, they have few coping strategies available when disasters strike. In a sudden emergency such as a flood, families can be forced to make tough choices to cover their immediate needs, such as selling assets and livestock.

These decisions can push families deeper into poverty and food insecurity, and limit their ability to withstand future shocks.

What exactly is climate risk insurance?

It is a risk-management tool that compensates people when they suffer financial losses, in exchange for a small fee called a premium. Insurance companies pool the premiums across diverse regions and risks, so large sums of money can be distributed to policy holders when a disaster occurs.

Since the money received is much higher than the premium paid, impacted people can recover quickly or prepare for the future, preventing hunger from taking hold in the long term. The World Food Programme (WFP) helps countries and vulnerable people to access insurance through climate action in 18 countries. In 2021, US$4.7 million in payouts were made to combat the effects of climate change.

Here are four reasons why climate risk insurance is an effective tool for WFP to build resilience, protect livelihoods and enable people to not just survive but thrive.

1. Timeliness and Planning

In any disaster, time is of the essence. With WFP’s climate insurance in place, support reaches households quickly through real-time monitoring and advanced planning.

When WFP purchases insurance policies at the national level, we partner with national disaster response agencies to develop plans for delivering funds as quickly as possible when disaster strikes.

When insuring individual families, WFP and local insurance companies decide how the money will reach affected households in advance. This proactive approach means people receive early assistance after a climate shock, saving more lives and livelihoods and ultimately being more cost-effective.

2. Protection for when its needed most

When WFP helps governments, smallholder farmers and pastoralists to access insurance, it provides rapid finance for social protection systems that allow for scaled-up assistance when an extreme weather event occurs.

“The climate’s changed, weather patterns have changed,” says Abdulahi Heben, a pastoralist in the Somali region of Ethiopia. “We know this is contributing to the drought that we are experiencing.”

Abdulahi and his herd are currently struggling through a record-breaking drought that has forced him to relocate his family from his village to the river 7 km away. He was insured under WFP’s livestock insurance programme, in partnership with the local government.

When two consecutive payouts were triggered, more than 25,000 families received help to protect their herds and meet their immediate needs. Knowing that insurance provides a protective safety net during droughts, pastoralists like Abdulahi can feel comfortable investing in equipment such as water tanks or new irrigation systems.

3. Financial resilience through an integrated approach

WFP promotes insurance through an integrated climate risk management approach that helps farmers to reduce their risk, access insurance, increase savings and invest in their livelihoods. As insurance is not a standalone solution, the package complements insurance so farmers can benefit even in a good season.

“I did not have cash to pay for my insurance so I chose to work for it,” says Khadija Yasi, a farmer in Malawi, where drought is a recurring and severe risk. In Malawi, participants either pay or work for several days to cover the cost of their insurance premiums. “I planted trees and I have been trained in making organic fertilizer for my veggie gardens,” adds Khadija. “This is how I paid for my insurance.”

This guarantees that if there is a poor harvest, she will be compensated and can replant her crops that season or the next. “I am also hopeful that with the different farming techniques I am learning, I will not be vulnerable to climate shocks in the future.”

Khadija is also part of her local village savings and loans (VSL) group which helps build up her savings for smaller shocks and take out loans to invest in her future.

4. Establishing new insurance markets

The long-term sustainability of climate risk insurance allows vulnerable policyholders to build resilience to climate shocks. WFP strives to strengthen both the supply and the demand in new insurance markets, so vulnerable people can access and understand these tools, and insurance companies can provide these products independent of WFP’s support. This involves working with local companies and partners to gradually increase how much farmers or governments contribute to the cost of the premiums.

In Senegal, WFP has a well-designed strategy for gradually increasing farmers’ contributions to the premium cost. This resulted in over 7,500 insured farmers paying the full premium in cash in 2021. It’s an example of both successfully growing the number of insured households, and fostering local ownership of the insurance product design.

Source: World Food Programme

From 5 to 9 June 2022, over 60 senior police officers from more than 45 countries came together in Amman, Jordan, to participate in a high-level workshop on international rules and standards regulating law enforcement operations.

Hosted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and co-hosted by the Public Security Directorate of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Senior Workshop on International rules governing Police Operations (SWIRPO) is the very first of its kind. It will focus on current issues in law enforcement, including crowd management and the humanitarian considerations of an evolving law enforcement environment.

Speaking of this unique event, Peter Evans, Head of the Unit for Relations with Arms Carriers explained that “the development and staging of this event represents the ICRC’s long-term commitment to working with law enforcement agencies to ensure that humanitarian considerations are incorporated into their practice. Police services provide a crucial backbone to a well-functioning society. The ICRC’s role is to support them in applying the international norms and standards in the delivery of that role. This event will facilitate a crucial senior level practitioner dialogue on these complex issues, and we are very pleased to be hosting so many law enforcement officials to join those discussions.”

Sarah Avrillaud, Head of ICRC Delegation in Jordan express that the theme of the workshop ” ‘Law Enforcement, Crowd Management and Humanitarian Considerations’ also conforms with the ICRC’s objective to prevent the suffering of persons affected by armed conflicts or situations of violence, in particular by promoting and strengthening international human rights standards. This is a key element of the mandate conferred upon the ICRC by States.”

The event was held in English, Arabic, French, Spanish and Russian and included sessions from global experts from South Africa, Germany, Cameroon, Brazil and France.

The equivalent event for military officers – the Senior Workshop on International Rules governing Military Operations – will be held in November 2022 in Denpasar, Indonesia.

Source: International Committee of the Red Cross

Ahead of the UN Human Rights Council’s 50th session (13 June-8 July 2022), we, the undersigned non-governmental organisations, are writing to urge your delegation to support the adoption of a resolution that extends the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea. Moreover, we highlight the need for the Council to move beyond merely procedural resolutions and to enshrine the “benchmarks for progress in improving the situation of human rights” by incorporating them into Eritrea-focused resolutions.

In July 2021, the UN Human Rights Council maintained its scrutiny of Eritrea’s human rights situation. Considering that monitoring of and reporting on the situation was still needed, the Council extended the Special Rapporteur’s mandate. This was vital to address both Eritrea’s domestic human rights violations and atrocities Eritrean forces have committed in the neighbouring Tigray region of Ethiopia.

In October 2021, Eritrea was re-elected for a second term as a Member of the Council (2022-2024). Yet the Government shows no willingness to address the grave human rights violations and abuses UN bodies and mechanisms have documented or to engage in a serious dialogue with the international community, including on the basis of the benchmarks for progress the Special Rapporteur identified in 2019. Despite its obligations as a Council Member to “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights” and to “fully cooperate with the Council,” the Government refuses to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur or other special procedure mandate holders. As of 2022, Eritrea remains among the very few countries that have never received any visit by a special procedure.

Furthermore, Eritrean forces have been credibly accused of grave violations of international law in Tigray, some of which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, since the conflict started in November 2020.

The concerns expressed in joint civil society letters released in 2020 and 2021 remain valid. Key human rights issues in Eritrea include:

Widespread impunity for past and ongoing human rights violations;

Arbitrary arrests and incommunicado detention;

Violations of the rights to a fair trial, access to justice, and due process;

Enforced disappearances and lack of information on disappeared persons;

Conscription into the country’s abusive national service system, including indefinite national service, involving torture, sexual violence against women and girls, and forced labour; and

Restrictions on the media and media workers, as well as severe restrictions on civic space.

In 2019, when the former sponsors of Eritrea-focused resolutions, Djibouti and Somalia, discontinued their leadership, civil society welcomed the initiative a group of six States took to maintain multilateral scrutiny of Eritrea’s human rights situation. However, while welcoming the adoption of Human Rights Council resolutions 41/1 (2019), 44/1 (2020), and 47/2 (2021), many civil society organisations cautioned that any shifts in the Council’s approach should reflect corresponding changes in the human rights situation on the ground. Civil society also emphasised the need for the new core group, and for the Euro- pean Union (which subsequently took over sponsorship of these resolutions), to be ambitious.

We believe that it is time for the Council to move beyond merely procedural resolutions that extend the Special Rapporteur’s mandate, and to clearly describe and condemn violations Eritrean authorities commit at home and abroad.

We also believe that the benchmarks for progress in improving the situation of human rights, which form a comprehensive road map for human rights reforms, should be incorporated into this year’s resolution. These benchmarks include:

Benchmark 1: Improvement in the promotion of the rule of law and strengthening of national justice and law enforcement institutions;

Benchmark 2: Demonstrated commitment to introducing reforms to the national/military service;

Benchmark 3: Extended efforts to guarantee freedoms of religion, association, expression and the press, and extended efforts to end religious and ethnic discrimination;

Benchmark 4: Demonstrated commitment to addressing all forms of gender-based violence and to promoting the rights of women and gender equality; and

Benchmark 5: Strengthened cooperation with the United Nations country

Associated indicators outlined in paragraphs 78-82 of UN Doc. A/HRC/41/53, as well as all recommendations pertaining to the benchmarks formulated in successive reports of the Special Rapporteur, should also be referenced in the

The Human Rights Council should allow the Special Rapporteur to pursue his work and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to deepen its engagement with Eritrea.

At its upcoming 50th session, the Council should adopt a resolution:

Extending the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea;

Urging Eritrea to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur by granting him access to the country, in accordance with its obligations as a Council Member;

Welcoming the benchmarks for progress in improving the situation of human rights and associated indicators and recommendations, and emphasising the need for Eritrea to in- corporate these benchmarks in its institutional, legal, and policy The resolution should enshrine the five benchmarks and associated indicators;

Calling on Eritrea to develop an implementation plan to meet the benchmarks for progress, in consultation with the Special Rapporteur and OHCHR; and

Requesting the High Commissioner and the Special Rapporteur to present updates on the human rights situation in Eritrea at the Council’s 52nd session in an enhanced interactive dialogue, and requesting the Special Rapporteur to present a comprehensive written report at the Council’s 53rd session and to the General Assembly at its 77th session.

We thank you for your attention to these pressing issues and stand ready to provide your delegation with further information as needed.

Sincerely,

African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS)

AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network)

The America Team for Displaced Eritreans

Amnesty International

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)

Cercle des Droits de l’Homme et de Développement – DRC

CIVICUS

Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform – Liberia

Coalition Burundaise des Défenseurs des Droits de l’Homme (CBDDH)

Coalition des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CDDH-Bénin)

Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH)

Coalition Togolaise des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CTDDH)

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)

CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)

Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)

Eritrea Focus

Eritrean Law Society

Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights (EMDHR)

Eritrean National Council for Democratic Change (ENCDC)

Eritrean Political Forces Coordination Committee (EPFCC)

Forum pour le Renforcement de la Société Civile (FORSC) – Burundi

Freedom United

Geneva for Human Rights / Genève pour les Droits de l’Homme (GHR)

Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P)

Human Rights Concern – Eritrea (HRCE)

Human Rights Defenders Network – Sierra Leone (HRDN-SL)

Human Rights Defenders Solidarity Network – HRDS-NET

Human Rights Watch

Independent Human Rights Investigators – Liberia

Information Forum for Eritrea (IFE)

Institut des Médias pour la Démocratie et les Droits de l’Homme (IM2DH)

International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)

Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada

Network of Human Rights Journalists – The Gambia

Network of the Independent Commission for Human Rights in North Africa (CIDH AFRICA)

One Day Seyoum

Protection International Africa

Réseau des Citoyens Probes (RCP) – Burundi

Réseau Nigérien des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (RNDDH)

Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (Southern Defenders)

West African Human Rights Defenders Network (ROADDH/WAHRDN)

World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

Source: Amnesty International

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sovereign Council, received a new message about an initiative to settle the political situation in Sudan.

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh met al-Burhan twice, on April 16 and May 2, to discuss an initiative to resolve the political crisis in Sudan.

However, the Eritrean Ambassador to Sudan, Isa Ahmed Isa handed over a new message from his government to al-Burhan and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemetti” about this initiative.

“The message of President Isaias focuses on strengthening bilateral ties as well as the contribution Eritrea could make, as a neighbouring country to Sudan, to resolve its internal problem and play a due role in the region,” reads a statement released on Shabait, the official website of the Eritrea government.

In Khartoum, the Sovereign Council issued a statement about the meeting saying that Ambassador Isa said that Sudan’s security is also the security of the African region.

According to the statement, the Eritrean diplomat added that “Sudan is able to solve its issues through broadening the base of participation among all components and conducting a serious and honest dialogue”.

General al-Burhan, on October 25, 2022, overthrew the transitional government and suspended the transitional democratic, saying the ruling political coalition, FFC, needs to include more political forces in the process.

Eritrea did not officially make public the content of its initiative but observers say it might deal with the situation in eastern Sudan as some Beja tribal factions reject a peace agreement negotiated with other groups.

The African Union, IGAD and the UN political mission to Sudan launched a joint process to end the Sudanese crisis, earlier last month.

Source: Sudan Tribune