USCIRF DELEGATION'S DECEMBER 5-10 VISIT TO KHARTOUM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001435 SENSITIVE SIPDIS NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR KDEM SU SUBJECT: USCIRF DELEGATION'S DECEMBER 5-10 VISIT TO KHARTOUM REF: A) KHARTOUM 1370 B) KHARTOUM 1376 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: During their visit to Khartoum, December 5-10, a delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) met with civil society, non-governmental organizations (NGO),United Nations in Sudan (UNMIS) representatives, the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC) and officials from both the Government of Sudan (GoS) and Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS). The December 7 detention and beating by police of Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) Head of Northern Sector Yasir Arman occurred while the delegation was here. Arman's detention and mistreatment, as well as that of other peaceful protesters, during a December 7 political demonstration in Khartoum, became a focal point for the delegation's discussions here. During the visit, the delegation also heard allegations that the Commission for the Rights of Non-Muslims was under the control of the National Congress Party (NCP). Many of their interlocutors expressed concern that the National Human Rights Commission is not yet functional and still awaiting appointment of commissioners. The delegation traveled to Jebel Aulia, an internally-displaced persons' (IDP) camp outside of Khartoum, where residents complained of marginalization. End Summary. -------------- December 7 Demonstration -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In two separate meetings on December 8, Yasir Arman and Priscilla Joseph (Note: Joseph is a member of the National Assembly and the head of the latter's Human Rights Committee. End Note) described Arman's detention and abuse at the hands of GOS police the previous day. The incident occurred during what both said should have been a peaceful protest culminating in the delivery of a petition to the National Assembly Speaker calling for movement on key legislation needed for CPA implementation (Ref A). At a second meeting later that same day, Arman and Joseph were joined by SPLM member and Government of National Unity (GNU) State Minister of Justice William Ajak Deng. Deng said that 11 SPLM government officials and over 200 other people had been arrested and detained in two different police stations (104 people in the central police station and 120 in a south station.) According to Deng, those detained included 26 women, who were reportedly beaten during police transport. The SPLM officials provided the USCIRF delegation with a list of 33 names of persons who they claimed suffered injuries during the previous day's arrests. ¶3. (SBU) GoSS Vice President Riek Machar called the arrests of senior SPLM members a "humiliation" to the political party, as well as to the individuals. In a December 9 meeting with the USCIRF delegation and the Charge d'Affaires, the GoSS VP said the NCP had subjected demonstrators to the very laws (i.e. the Criminal Law and National Security Act) that the SPLM was now trying to replace in the present session of the National Assembly. Machar added: "If we are to move forward, it should be the last time these laws are used." -------------- Role of the U.S. To Promote Democracy Process -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Asked by the USCIRF Chairman what the United States could do to help move the democracy process forward, Machar responded that the role of the U.S. government was to see that the CPA is implemented. He stated that the U.S. should respect the will of the people in Southern Sudan and prepare them for either unity or secession. Furthermore, he noted that additional USG assistance with security training would be beneficial to ensure police are well-prepared for the national elections and referendum. GoSS Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr. Luka Biong Deng, was also present at the meeting and asked for assistance in improving the capacity of GoSS judges. He called the GoSS judiciary weak, and said that although they now operated in a decentralized system, judges continued to reflect the values and approaches of a unitary state. He said the GoSS judicial system's personnel would benefit from training to help them adjust to the challenges of building a new state, and strengthen local judicial capacity. -------------- CPA Implementation and Referendum -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Coordinator to the Chairman for the AEC, Simon Giverin, met with the USCIRF delegation and poloffs on December 8. The meeting occurred after a scheduled plenary meeting had to be cancelled KHARTOUM 00001435 002 OF 002 earlier in the day when SPLM representatives were no-shows for the session. According to Giverin, this was the first time that one of the parties had not sent representatives to a plenary. (Note: The plenary was rescheduled and took place with both parties present on December 13. End Note.) Regarding CPA implementation, Giverin expressed his personal concerns, calling the current situation "a crisis." He added that in his view it would be very difficult to meet the January 2011 referendum deadline. -------------- National Human Rights Commission -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Political Affairs and Human Rights representatives from UNMIS told the USCIRF delegation and poloff that there was very little political will to open the debate concerning the Human Rights Commission as mandated in the National Human Rights Commission Act adopted in April of this year. They cited pending election issues as the primary causes for delay, but also noted that all commissions created to further implementation of the CPA largely existed in name only. They reported that the GNU Presidency had not yet appointed commissioners to the National Human Rights Commission, even though civil society groups in October had held a press conference and submitted a list of fifteen potential candidates for consideration. There was very little public awareness, in their view, of the Human Rights Commission and no expectation of imminent action. They stated that this was despite an ongoing UNMIS advocacy campaign meant to highlight the need for a transparent, inclusive and participatory nomination process of Commissioners in line with the Paris Principles and international best practice. -------------- --- Special Commission for the Rights of Non-Muslims -------------- --- ¶7. (SBU) According to many interlocutors with whom the USCIRF delegation met, the Special Commission for the Rights of Non-Muslims is controlled by the ruling NCP, and lacks the ability to protect non-Muslim citizens. Even the Commission Chairman, Joshua Dau, acknowledged that the Commission only attempts to mitigate sentences of non-Muslims convicted under Islamic Sharia law. It does not seek dismissal of the charge altogether, even though the Interim National Constitution exempts non-Muslims from Sharia law. Some of the difficulties were due, he said, to the quick trial and sentencing processes carried out by the GOS Public Order Police. Nevertheless, Chairman Dau and other Commission members said they saw no obligation to do more than seek reduced sentences for those convicted of Sharia law offenses. UNMIS representatives expressed fear that the rights of Southerners in the North would be exposed in 2011 following the Referendum on Southern unity with the north or independence. Some of the Commission members confirmed this concern by stating that if the Referendum vote was for secession, those Southerners who could not go back to the South would have to "find their own way" in a Sharia-based system. -------------- --- Meeting with IDP Camp Residents Outside Khartoum -------------- --- ¶8. (SBU) Residents of an IDP camp in Jebel Aulia, approximately 40 km outside the city of Khartoum, reported no harassment of Christian religious worship or confiscation of religious materials; however, they said they felt marginalized as a Christian community. They noted frequent questioning from police and denial of time away from work or school to attend Sunday religious services. They claimed social, as well as systemic, discrimination in their daily lives. Many claimed that prevailing social customs in the north included pressure on their children to convert to Islam. When asked how many would return to the South if it seceded in 2011, three-fourths of those present said they would do so. Some said they would have to raise money before they could resettle in the South. Among those who spoke with the USCIRF delegation, there was a general lack of knowledge about repatriation. Many believed that there were no longer repatriation services. Some in the IDP camp said they felt their government had abandoned them. ¶9. (SBU) The USCIRF delegation did not clear this cable prior to departing Sudan. ASQUINO