Press Release

April 6th, 2005

Government Must Respect the Freedom of Expression
and the Right to Peaceful Assembly

In the city of Omdurman today, the 6th of April, 2005, the government’s police and security forces launched an aggressive attack to frustrate the Umma Party’s peaceful celebration of the national anniversary of the April Popular Uprising, which ended the dictatorial rule of the Sudan in 1985.

The government forces terrorized the citizens participating in the celebration and then arbitrarily arrested the Umma Secretary General, Dr. ‘Abd al-Nabi ‘Ali Ahmed, and other members of the party who were subjected to immediate interrogations and tortures before they were lately released. As a result of this offensive, the Umma’s peaceful celebration was abruptly prevented by the authorities’ unlawful use of force.

The Organization notes the government’s ruling groups and their supporters enjoy full public freedoms to express political views, without censor, in the national and the external media. The government, however, is not acting with fairness or lawfulness towards the other groups that do not subscribe to the government’s policies or stands.

The Sudan Human rights Organization Cairo Office condemns in the strongest terms possible the transgressing attitude of the government against the freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.

SHRO-Cairo urges the government to assure the full enjoyment of public freedoms and democratic rights to the civil society groups, as well as the opposition’s political parties, to be able to express their own views and political stands without discrimination.