Publications

This letter expresses REDRESS' concern about the possible transfer out of prison of former Sudanese President, Omar Al-Bashir, and other former regime members, in light of the COVID-19 health emergency. While REDRESS strongly supports measures to protect detained individuals’ rights to health and personal integrity, Covid-19 must not be a pretext for the unjustified release of those facing charges for serious international crimes. REDRESS calls upon all decision-making authorities in Sudan, especially the office of the Attorney-General, to ensure respect for the rights of victims to justice and reparation, while upholding the rights of detainees to health and safe conditions of detention.

This Report Summary summarizes the key findings of a joint report by the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) and REDRESS, A Way Forward? Anti-torture reforms in Sudan in the Post-Bashir era. At a critical juncture in Sudan's history, the report identifies priorities for change and key reforms to end the systematic practice of torture in Sudan, punish the perpetrators and provide reparations for the victims.

At a critical juncture in Sudan’s history, this joint report from the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) and REDRESS identifies priorities for change and key reforms to end the systematic practice of torture in Sudan, punish the perpetrators and provide reparations for the victims.

In this letter, submitted ahead of the 42nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, REDRESS and other civil society organisations urge the Council to take action to address serious human rights violations and abuses that have been and continue to be committed in Sudan, and to support systemic reforms in the country.

REDRESS and the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) have issued this briefing which identifies priority areas for reform on torture in Sudan following the recent removal of Omar al-Bashir as President. It focuses on reparations for victims of torture, ensuring individual accountability and preventing torture in the future.

The report, ‘Criminalisation of Women in Sudan: A Need for Fundamental Reform’, shows how public order laws, designed to protect morality, continue to disproportionately target women, who can face long spells in jail and flogging for infractions such as wearing ‘trousers’. Focusing on Khartoum state, the reports describes the experiences of some of the women most affected by the application of these laws, including alcohol brewers and sellers, human rights defenders, female students and migrant women. The report was written by the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) and REDRESS.

REDRESS and the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies have made a joint submission to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sudan and South Sudan. The Government of Sudan remains non-complaint with its obligations pertaining to the absolute prohibition of torture, including accountability for torture by officials of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) under the National Security Act of 2010. The UK government must develop a specific human rights strategy for its engagement with the Sudanese government. In particular, the UK government must make respect for human rights - particularly accountability for torture and ill-treatment - a key condition of any future engagement between the UK and Sudan.

REDRESS' submission to the Universal Periodic Review of Sudan focuses on developments since 2011, and the urgent need to carry out thorough reforms of Sudan’s legal and institutional framework and practice to ensure the effective prohibition of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This submission is based on our extensive work on torture in the region, including representing and assisting individual survivors of torture in proceedings before national, regional and international bodies, and advocating for legislative and institutional reforms.