In
Sudan,
As Complaints of UN Inaction on Human Rights Mount, No Comment for 2
Days, Dubious Denial
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 2 -- The UN claims it is committed to human
rights, in Sudan and elsewhere, but Sudanese democracy activists
Girifna and opposition officials from the SPLM say otherwise.
Two
days ago,
Inner City Press asked the UN to respond to allegations that the UN
Mission in Sudan, UNMIS, refused to to see the body of a Darfuri
student tortured to death, or democracy activists surrounded by the
police, because the request was on the weekend or outside of business
hours. After a day, the UN declined comment. On September 2, Inner
City Press was told that an answer might come. Video
here, from
Minute 15:46.
Well,
now senior
SPLM official has said that the UN and UNMIS
“have
a unit for the protection of human rights but this unit was dormant.
It wasn't reaching out. They were not issuing statements. I don't
think they are helpful. Their value is not public especially to those
who were directly attacked, or tortured by the security services.
They were never coming to the rescue. I'd like them to publish a
statement to help the victims, to help those who are active in
protecting human rights. They are too careful - more mindful of
their jobs than taking their mission seriously."
And
the Girifna
activists, giving three examples where they called for immediate help
and no one came, add that even when after the fact a Sudanese staffer
“at the human rights department” did come, he just listened and
they never heard from him again: “no feedback, no public statement,
nothing.”
So
they feel the
UN is meaningless and did not help them in any way. In fact the day
before Girifna's Abdallah Mahdi was arrested and tortured, he and
another colleague went to see UNMIS human rights. Then the next day
Mahdi was arrested and tortured. Some wonder if there is a link.
Police in Sudan, UN human rights protection not shown
On
the report, by
sources in New York, that the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Sudan
Georg Charpentier recently began showing copies of press releases to
the Sudanese humanitarian affairs ministry before releasing them, the
UN through acting Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq on September 2 said
that coordinator Charpentier “works with the government and
opposition” but “does not submit press statements to the
government for approval, with the exception of joint press statements
on joint initiatives.” Video here,
from Minute 5:20. We'll see.
Footnote: the UN
Security Council's agenda for September includes two sessions on Sudan.
On September 2, Inner City Press asked the month's Council president,
Turkey's Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, if the Council would consider the
government's push to break up Kalma Camp, or Kenya's and Chad's
non-arrest of President Bashir. Video here,
from Minute 39:40. Neither, apparently.
The Council president acknowledged the UN's developing
idea of naming a panel of eminent persons to monitor the January 2010
referendum. Video here,
from Minute 43:47. A Western diplomat tells Inner City Press it
involves "ex Presidents."
* * *
In
Sudan,
UN
Mission Rebuffs Human Rights Complaints, Vets Statements With
Bashir Government, Sources Say
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September
1 -- The UN Mission in Sudan rebuffs human rights
protection outside of normal business hours, and runs its press
releases by Khartoum's “humanitarian affairs” minister, Inner
City Press has been told by sources. The UN in New York has neither
confirmed nor denied, despite more than 24 hours lead time
On
August 31,
Inner City Press asked
the
spokesman for Ban Ki-moon, Martin Nesirky,
the following:
Inner
City
Press:
On Sudan, I wanted to ask two things about UNMIS,
actually. So they’re about South Sudan and/or Khartoum. I’ve
been told that in two recent incidents, for example there was the
Girifna activist, the youth activists that were arrested by the
Government, for being pro-democracy. That, in fact, they called the
UN. They called UNMIS and asked for to be, when they were surrounded
by the national NISS, and were told that UNMIS would only respond
during normal office hours and in turn were arrested.
In
another
incident, a Darfuri student was in the morgue, having been, it’s
alleged, tortured to death. The UN was told to come to the morgue
and witness this, and was told it was Friday and a holiday and would
not come. So, I’m just wondering, does UNMIS have a policy of not
responding to even alleged torture deaths on weekends? And why is it
that Mr. [Haile] Menkerios, as much of the press corps in Khartoum
and Juba are complaining, has only had a single press conference and
says there’s no need to, actually. I mean that’s a separate one. People
there are unable to get an answer. I guess if you can get an
answer from UNMIS, if it’s true they didn’t respond and, if they
didn’t, why they didn’t respond to these two very troubling human
rights incidents.
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I
think colleagues have heard this just as I have and I’m
sure we’ll be contacting UNMIS to see what kind of response there
is and to what extent there is anything to these reports and, if so,
what that response is.
Twenty
four
hours
later -- and not over a weekend, in either New York or Khartoum --
the UN had provided no response. (Inner City Press had previously
asked about the Girifna activists, without yet knowing the full
extent of the UN's inaction.) So at the September 1 noon briefing,
Inner City Press asked Nesirky's acting deputy Farhan Haq about the
previous day's questions, as well as a new outrage from yet another
source, that UN Humanitarian Coordinator Georg Charpentier now vets
his press releases with Sudan's Humanitarian Affairs minister before
releasing, late and newsless.Video here,
from
Minute 15:46.
UN's Georg Charpentier, checking with Sudan gov't not shown
Haq
said he
forwarded this question to the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, which is in between departed chief John Holmes
and his successor, Baroness Valerie Amos. Inner City Press went to
Haq's office to ask for some belated answer to the previous day's
UNMIS questions. Minutes later, Inner City Press received this (non)
response, or implicit confirmation:
Subject:
Your
question
on human rights and the UN Mission in Sudan
Date:
Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 1:15 PM
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply
<unspokesperson-donotreply [at] un.org>
To: Matthew.Lee [at]
innercitypress.com
Regarding
your
question
at the 31 August noon briefing:
We
can
assure
you that the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) works seven days
a week.
On
the
question
of human rights abuses, UNMIS takes the issue very
seriously. We have no further comment at this time on specific cases.
Watch
this
site.
, 
