Antécédents de l'affaire: Faisal Mohamed Salih

Le 28 mars 2016, deux membres de Our Rights Group, une coalition de la société civile soudanaise, n'ont pas été autorisés à quitter le Soudan pour se rendre à Genève, où ils devaient participer à une réunion à propos de l'examen par l'ONU du bilan du Soudan en matière de droits humains, un processus qui doit explicitement inclure la contribution de la société civile indépendante. L'examen périodique universel (EPU) du Soudan est prévu pour mai 2016. Des agents de sécurité de l'aéroport international de Khartoum ont informé les défenseurs qu'il sont sous le coup d'une interdiction de voyager, et leurs passeports ont été saisis.

Our Rights Group est une coalition d'organisations de la société civile qui a récemment remis à l'ONU son rapport sur la situation des droits humains au Soudan dans le cadre de l'EPU. La coalition inclut notamment Asmaa Society for Development, qui a pour but de sensibiliser le public à la question de l'égalité des genres au Soudan en travaillant sur la capacité des femmes à construire et contribuer efficacement à la transformation démocratique au Soudan; Human Rights and Legal Aid Network (HRLAN), et le Sudanese Solidarity Committee, qui représentent les familles des victimes des manifestations de 2013, lors desquelles plus de 700 personnes ont été tuées après avoir appelé à des changements démocratiques dans le pays.

Dans la matinée du 28 mars 2016, un officier du Service national de la sûreté et du renseignement (NISS) en civil, a empêché Mme Sawsan Hassan Elshowaya, directrice d'Asmaa Society for Development, et Dr Muawia Shaddad, président d'HRLAN, de se rendre à Genève depuis l'aéroport international de Khartoum, alors qu'il devaient participer à une réunion pour préparer l'EPU. Après avoir enregistré leurs bagages et présenté leurs passeports au guichet de l'immigration, ils ont été stoppés et informés de l'interdiction de voyager émise contre eux. Leurs passeports ont été saisis et on leur a demandé de se présenter à la section Information et renseignements au siège du NISS pour plus d'informations.

Le 25 mars 2016, le NISS a empêcher le journaliste et défenseur des droits humains M. Faisal Mohamed Salih de quitter l'aéroport international de Khartoum pour se rendre à Londres. Son passeport a été saisi sans qu'on lui dise s'il lui serait rendu. Faisal écrit beaucoup au sujet des violations des droits humains et de la répression gouvernementale au Soudan, et œuvre également pour la promotion de la liberté d'expression et de la liberté de la presse.

Le 23 mars 2016, le NISS a aussi empêché M. Siddig Yousif, président du Sudanese Solidarity Committee, de quitter l'aéroport de Khartoum pour aller à Genève et a confisqué son passeport. Il n'avait pas été mis au courant avant de l'interdiction de voyager. Lorsqu'il s'est rendu à la section d'Information et de renseignement au siège du NISS, il n'a pas eu d'information au sujet de l'interdiction de voyager ni de son passeport. C'est la quatrième fois que le président du comité est placé sous le coup d'une interdiction de voyager.

Les défenseur-ses des droits humains au Soudan subissent des actes d'intimidation et de harcèlement de la part du NISS. Mi-mars, les passeports des employés du Khartoum Centre for Training and Human Development (TRACKS), ainsi que ceux des visiteurs du centre, ont été saisis par le NISS lors d'une perquisition menée dans les bureaux de l'organisation.

Front Line Defenders est vivement préoccupée par les interdictions de voyager délivrées contre les défenseur-ses des droits humains au Soudan, ainsi que par la confiscation des passeports, car il semble que ces actes soient directement motivés par leur travail légitime et pacifique en faveur des droits humains.

Front Line Defenders exhorte les autorités de la République du Soudan à:

1. Lever immédiatement les interdictions de voyager imposées à tous les défenseur-ses des droits humains susmentionnés, restituer leurs passeports et s'abstenir de tout acte de harcèlement futur à leur encontre, car Front Line Defenders pense qu'ils sont uniquement pris pour cible à cause de leur travail légitime et pacifique en faveur des droits humains;
2. Garantir qu’en toutes circonstances, tous-tes les défenseur-ses des droits humains en République du Soudan puissent mener à bien leurs actions légitimes en faveur des droits humains, sans craindre ni restrictions ni représailles.

Sudanese journalist Mr Faisal Mohamed Salih was arrested and detained on 8 May 2012 and Sudanese lawyer Ms Nagla Mohamed has been suffering from ongoing harassment and intimidation since 21 April 2012.

On 8 May 2012, prominent Sudanese journalist '''Mr Faisal Mohamed Salih''' was arrested from his home in Khartoum and detained by members of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS). Faisal Mohamed Salih is the Director of Taiba Press and a columnist at Al Akhbar newspaper. The whereabouts of Faisal Mohamed Salih's current detention are unknown.

Since 21 April 2012, '''Ms Nagla Mohamed''', prominent Sudanese human right defender and lawyer, has been the subject of summons, interrogation and ill-treatment by the NISS and has been forced to report repeatedly to its offices. Nagla Mohamed is the Director of Al Sharq Human Rights and Development Organisation and attended Front Line Defenders' Dublin Platform in September 2011.

Shortly before his arrest, Faisal Mohamed Salih told Front Line Defenders: "Yesterday was the eleventh day of daily reporting to the security office. At the end of the day, I told them that I am not coming on Tuesday, if they want me they should come and detain me. I am now waiting in my house".

Since 27 April 2012, Faisal Mohamed Salih has had to report to the NISS offices in Khartoum where he has been interrogated and detained from morning until early evening. The last daily arbitrary summons and detention was on 7 May 2012, when he was held from morning until 4pm. When he was asked to leave and to report back on the following day, Faisal Mohamed Salih refused, stating that he had been told the summons will continue for ten days and that he had already been summoned for an extra day.

On 25 April 2012, the arbitrary summons of Faisal Mohamed Salih began when he was detained and interrogated from 8pm until 12am in relation to comments he aired on Al Jazeera TV on 19 April 2012 in reference to a speech made by the Sudanese President on the conflict in Heglig. He was told the he was not authorised to make such comments in public and that he should bring any concerns he has to the private attention of authorities through official channels. Over the following ten days, Faisal Mohamed Salih had to report to the NISS offices where he was held from morning until 5pm without being questioned.

Faisal Mohamed Salih has previously been the subject of judicial harassment. He was prevented from attending a training workshop held in Tanzania from 30 April to 3 May 2012. In 2011, he was judicially harassed as a result of his efforts to highlight violations committed against activist Ms Safia Ishaq Mohamed, who was raped while being held in the custody of the NISS.

Human right defender and lawyer Nagla Mohamed has been the subject of ongoing harassment and intimidation by the NISS since 21 April 2012. Her most recent summons was on 8 May 2012, when she was asked to report to the offices of the NISS in the city of Port Sudan where she lives and works. She was first detained at her home on 21 April 2012 by 14 male security officers from the NISS, some of whom were armed with pipes measuring approximately 1.40 centimetres. She was taken by the security officers to the NISS offices. On her arrival, she was taken to a dark location infested with insects and flies and was threatened to be beaten. The security officers called her an insect and verbally abused her.

After two hours, Nagla Mohamed was taken to another room where she was interrogated by two male officers on issues related to her private life and family, and her work as a human rights defender. During this time, she was again verbally abused and called a “traitor” and an “infidel”. The interrogation continued until 10pm after which time she was taken home. While on her way home, she was told by officers that she was under constant surveillance and that they knew a lot of information about her which they could use to defame her character.

Nagla Mohamed was ordered to report to the NISS offices the following day at 10am. She was interrogated again, this time focusing on her relations with political parties including the Communist Party of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM). The interrogation ended at 1pm and she was asked to go home. Shortly afterwards, Nagla Mohamed was contacted by phone and ordered to return to the NISS offices. Upon her arrival, she was taken to office of the Director who threatened to detain her as result of her activities. She was subsequently held in a room where she was detained until 6pm. She was released and ordered to report at 8am the following day. Nagla Mohamed told them that she could not come on that day due to a hearing she had to attend as a lawyer.

On 24 April 2012, Nagla Mohamed reported to the NISS offices where she was detained in an isolated room for 12 hours without access to toilet facilities. When she told the officers that she needed to use the toilet facilities, she was taken to a toilet designated for men. She was released and ordered to report back on the following day. When she protested, she was told that these measures were intended to disrupt her work and to deter her from involvement in activities against the Government. When she reported back during the following days, Nagla Mohamed was held in the same room until evening. As a result of the poor conditions during her detention, she fell ill and was taken to hospital, where she was diagnosed with a nervous breakdown.

Front Line Defenders express serious concern for the physical and psychological integrity of Faisal Mohamed Salih and Nagla Mohamed. Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned about the arbitrary arrest and detention of Faisal Mohamed Salih, and the harassment and intimidation of Nagla Mohamed, and believes that these measures against the human rights defenders are solely motivated by their peaceful and legitimate human rights work in Sudan.