African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies

The National Intelligence and Security Service Arrests Two Citizens, One Dies While in Custody

(23 March 2012) In two different cases the week of 12 March, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) arrested two people, one of whom died while in police custody. The disparate nature of these incidents illustrates the latitude that the NISS has been given under the 2010 National Security Act and the brutality that often occurs while citizens are under NISS custody.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) condemns the death of Mr. Ismail and calls on the government of Sudan to investigate this incident and hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.

ACJPS also calls on the Government of Sudan to immediately release Ms. Khamis. The 2010 National Security Act allows security officials to detain suspects for up to four and a half months without judicial review, before charges must be levied. ACJPS is concerned that this provides the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) the freedom to detain activists without the burden of justification.

Read the full press release here.

Sudan Human Rights Monitor

December 2011 - January 2012

The feature article in this issue examines the failure of Sudan and South Sudan to reach a lasting agreement regarding the transit fees that South Sudan would pay for the use of Sudan’s pipeline to export oil. Negotiations between the two over key “post-referendum” arrangements have been ongoing since 2010 with facilitation by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP). Thus far, talks have failed to reach lasting agreements on a number of issues critical to the security and economic well-being of the two countries.

This issue also provides provides an overview of political developments including the death of JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim, violence in Jonglei state, establishment of the National Constitutional Review Commission in South Sudan and outcomes from the African Union Summit.

Find the full Monitor here

The Judiciary in Sudan: Its Role in Protecting Human Rights During the Comprehensive Peace Agreement Interim Period (2005 - 2011)

In this report, ACJPS examines the state of the judiciary in the Sudan and its role in the protection and promotion of human rights during the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)-mandated Interim period of July 2005 to July 2011. The paper aims to shed light on the structure of the judiciary and analyzes substantive laws and constitutional guarantees governing the operational independence of the judiciary. In addition to examining the normative framework, this study analyzes the concept of judicial independence and the operations of the judiciary as an institution. This study concludes that in some instances, the effectiveness of the Sudanese judiciary is compromised by the resistance or refusal of the executive branches of government to implement its decisions.

Find the full report here.