The cases of sexual violence that accompanied the crime of the sit-in of the General Command dispersal in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, two years ago (June 3, 2019), are one of the most prominent features of the lack of justice. It is noted that despite the slowness of the transitional authorities regarding the case of the sit-in of the General Command dispersal – June 2019, that some cases of extrajudicial killing of demonstrators and enforced disappearance in the events of June 3 and after, had the opportunity to be presented before the prosecution authorities, specialized investigation committees, or the judiciary. While the cases of sexual violence that accompanied these events did not receive any progress at the judicial level, this is combined with a complete inability and handicapping by the transitional authorities to facilitate these cases to reach the stage of litigation, due to the absence of local legislation sensitive to cases of sexual violence and the inability of judicial institutions (The Judiciary – The Public Prosecution) at the technical level to deal with these cases.
The situation of women in Sudan is still at the status quo, despite the transitional authorities’ signing of global treaties such as The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), or regional treaties such as The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol). However, there was no reflection of these treaties on the local legislation, or the procedures and dealings of the judicial authorities to improve the conditions of women and girls in Sudan.
Therefore, the Sudanese Human Rights Group (Huqooq) calls on the Sudanese authorities to immediately start working on projects to reform justice institutions, law enforcement authorities, and local legislation in line with the treaties and conventions signed and ratified by Sudan, until the elimination of all forms of discrimination against Sudanese women and girls becomes a reality and not locked up in government drawers.
this report provides a detailed account of sexual and gender-based violence crimes (“SGBV crimes”) (i.e. the underlying acts of rape, other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity such as sexual humiliations and sexual blackmail, torture; enforced disappearance of persons; and other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health) that took place in-front of the General Military Command Headquarters and in other areas of Khartoum on June 3rd, 2019 and the following days.
This report is based on 58 testimonies proving that:
- 8 women were raped.
- 7 women have experienced other forms of sexual violence.
- 15 women witnessed rape/other violations against others (including a male).
- 11 men witnessed rape/other abuses against others.
- Attempted rape of a man and a woman.
- 3 people who witnessed rape/other forms of sexual violence committed against males.