News briefing
Translated and edited by: Committee for Justice
Geneva: October 25, 2021
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, condemned Monday’s military coup in Sudan, and the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency, the suspension of key articles of the Constitutional Document and the governing bodies. Bachelet stressed that what happened threatens the Juba Peace Agreement and undermines progress made towards democracy and respect for human rights.
In a statement published by the Media Center of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Bachelet said: “The military authorities must abide by the constitutional order and applicable international law, withdraw from the streets, and resolve any differences they have with the civilian component of the Transitional Council through dialogue and negotiation.”
Bachelet strongly condemned the reports of the arrest of the Prime Minister and a number of ministers, leaders of the Forces for Freedom and Change, and representatives of civil society, calling for their immediate release.
Bachelet stressed that a blanket internet shutdown contravenes international law, and that Internet and mobile phone services must be restored, because they are necessary for people to obtain and receive information, especially in these troubling circumstances, reminding military and security forces to refrain from unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, and to respect people’s freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.
Concluding her statement, the High Commissioner stressed that it would be disastrous if Sudan retracted after it had finally ended decades of oppressive dictatorship, noting that the country needed to move forward towards the consolidation of democracy, a desire that the Sudanese people have expressed loud and clear countless times, including the protests that took place in the streets last week and today.
