Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), the Khartoum Centre for Human Rights and Environmental Development (KCHRED) in partnership with the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) conducted a legal training workshop, “Strengthening African Mechanisms in Sudan” in Khartoum, Sudan on November 14-18 2005.

The four day workshop covered substantive law, procedure, advocacy skills, and interpretative issues. The workshop focused particularly on the African Commission for Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) and interpretative issues facing Sudanese lawyers in their work to promote and strengthen Sudan obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

The workshop was conducted by distinguished lawyers and experts from the BHRC, REDRESS Trust, the UN and INTERIGHTS.

Over 85 people attended the workshop, including representatives from local civil society groups, academics, legal experts, lawyers and journalists. Representatives from the Advisory Council for Human Rights, Ministry of Interior, the British Embassy in Khartoum and the European Commission also attended the workshop.

The workshop promoted discussion and understanding of the remedies available to Sudanese lawyers working on human rights issues through domestic, regional and international avenues. Participants made the following recommendations:

i. For the Government of Sudan to ratify all international human rights instruments not yet ratified, and incorporate those standards into domestic legislation

ii. For the Government of Sudan to implement the Interim Constitution with particular reference to Article 27, which calls for the incorporation into domestic law of all international instruments that Sudan has ratified

iii. For the Government of Sudan to implement all decisions concerning Sudan that have been passed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights

iv. For civil society to form special committees to monitor and lobby for the implementation of those decisions and others issued by regional and international human rights’ bodies.

For further information on this workshop please contact:

Sudan:

KCHRED

Tel: (+249) 11 797152 – 11 762826 – 11 762827

Fax: 11 797153

Email: [email protected]

London:

SOAT

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7625 8055

Fax: 20 7372 2656