SOAS Professor urges Sudan government to improve human rights
18 February 2013
Mashood Baderin, Professor of Law at SOAS, University of London urged and encouraged the Sudan government to improve human rights on a UN mission to the country last week.
Professor Baderin provided his initial observation of the human rights situation in the country at a press conference in Khartoum after his second mission to the Sudan as the UN Independent Expert.
In September last year, the Human Rights Council renewed Professor Baderin’s mandate for another year. He is charged with helping to determine the technical assistance and capacity building needs of the Sudanese government to enable it fulfil its human rights obligations.
Professor Baderin said: “My initial observation is that while there has been some noteworthy progress towards the promotion and protection of human rights by the Government of the Sudan, significant challenges still remain to be addressed.
“I regret to observe that despite the recommendations in my last report emphasising the important role of civil society organisations and urging the government to create a conducive environment for the operation of these organisations, it is evident that the government through the NISS has clamped down on some civil society organisations and prevented them from submitting a complaint to the National Commission on Human Rights in Khartoum.”
Although he described the security and human rights situation in Darfur as “dire” - based on discussions with UNAMID and other stake holders - he acknowledged that there had been some relative improvements as a result of UNAMID and other UN agencies working in collaboration with the state.
Professor Baderin concluded: “I would like to reiterate my commitment of pursuing my mandate in a result-oriented manner to aid the Sudan in fulfilling its human rights obligations.”
