Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05DUBLIN573
2005-05-13 16:31:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Dublin
Cable title:  

IRELAND HONORS ARRESTED SUDANESE HUMAN RIGHTS

Tags:  PHUM PREL PGOV UNHRC 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBLIN 000573 

SIPDIS

STATE PASS TO AF/SPG (T. SMITH),AF/RSA (D. SIMS)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV UNHRC
SUBJECT: IRELAND HONORS ARRESTED SUDANESE HUMAN RIGHTS
ACTIVIST

REF: KHARTOUM 00717

Action Request (See Para 4.)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBLIN 000573

SIPDIS

STATE PASS TO AF/SPG (T. SMITH),AF/RSA (D. SIMS)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV UNHRC
SUBJECT: IRELAND HONORS ARRESTED SUDANESE HUMAN RIGHTS
ACTIVIST

REF: KHARTOUM 00717

Action Request (See Para 4.)


1. Summary. On May 13th, President of Ireland Mary McAleese
presented the inaugural Front Line Human Rights Defender
Award to the wife and daughter of Sudanese Human Rights
Activist, Dr. Mudawi Ibrahim Adam. Per reftel, Dr. Mudawi
was arrested by GOS authorities on May 8th and was not
allowed to leave the country to accept the award personally.
Post requests guidance on current USG initiatives related to
Dr. Mudawi's arrest. End Summary.

--------------
Front Line
--------------


2. On May 13th, President of Ireland Mary McAleese presented
the inaugural Front Line Human Rights Defender Award to the
wife and daughter of Dr. Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, Chairperson of
the Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO). Dr. Mudawi
was selected for the award from a list of nominees,
including: Dr. Rajan Hoole and Dr. Kopalasingham Sritharan,
Sri Lanka; Talib Yakubov, Uzbekistan; and Obtilia Eugenio
Manuel, Mexico. Dr. Mudawi was arrested (reftel) while
taking video footage of Khartoum to provide to Front Line for
the award ceremony presentation. The ceremony was attended
by about 150 people, including the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the
Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Development
Cooperation and Human Rights, other government officials,
resident diplomats, and the press. Front Line is an Irish
NGO that supports human rights defenders at risk worldwide.

--------------
Action Request
--------------


3. Public and GOI interest in Dr. Mudawi's arrest is running
high, and Post requests guidance on current USG initiatives
to release Dr. Mudawi (if any) so that we can brief Irish
officials and align our efforts. Thus far, Irish Development
Minister Conor Lenihan has spoken with his GOS counterpart
calling for Dr. Mudawi's release. The Irish Senate adopted
an all-party motion calling on the GOS to release him
immediately. The Irish government is likely to bring Dr.
Mudawi's arrest to the UN Human Rights Commission as well.
Front Line informed emboff that the British demarched the GOS
on Dr. Mudawi's release earlier this week and the Dutch
requested his release (per reftel) and secured travel to
Ireland for his wife, Mrs. Sabeh and her daughter Huda.

--------------
Petition
--------------


4. Front Line provided the following text as a petition for
Dr. Mudawi's release to Field Marshal Omar Hassan al-Bashir:

Begin Text:

His Excellency Field Marshal Omar Hassan al-Bashir
President of the Republic of Sudan
President's Palace
P.O. Box 281
Khartoum
Sudan

13 May 2005

Your Excellency,

I would like to call for the immediate and unconditional
release of Dr. Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, Chairperson of the Sudan
Social Development Organization (SUDO). I understand that he
was arrested on 9 May 2005, the third time in 18 months, as a
result of his peaceful human rights work in Sudan.

His detention is in violation of international human rights
standards and contravenes the United Nations Declaration on
Human Rights Defends, adopted by consensus by the UN General
Assembly on 9 December 1998, which recognizes the legitimacy
of the activities of Human Rights Defenders and their right
to carry out their activities without fear of reprisals, in
particular Article 12 (2) which states: "The State shall take
all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the
competent authorities of everyone, individually and in
association with others, against any violence, threats,
retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination,
pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of
his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in
the present Declaration".

Yours sincerely,


End Text.
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