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 Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور (Re: Mohamed Elgadi)
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This interview tookplace in West Philly last week
Exclusive interview with Salih Mahmoud Osman, Human Rights Watch recipient of the highest honor
BY AISHA MOHAMMED AND SUSAN SHULMAN
Special to the U.C. Review
(L)Salih Mahmoud Osman, (R) Siddiq Hadi, West Philadelphia Business Owner. Photo: R. Christian
Darfur has slipped in and out of the media since February 2003, when the Sudanese government and its allied militias, under the guise of a “counter-insurgency campaign” began attacking, killing, and raping civilians primarily the from Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa ethnic groups. The situation continued to deteriorate in Darfur, threatening to undermine the progress of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed between the Sudanese government and the rebels in the South in January 2005. The agreement formally concluded a 21-year-long civil war between the government-backed Muslim North and the primarily Christian-animist South. In March 2005, a UN Security Council Resolution referred the Darfur situation to the International
Criminal Court (ICC), which sent a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the violations of human rights. They reported that the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Janjaweed were engaging in widespread and systematic attacks on civilians, resulting in the large-scale destruction of villages throughout Darfur, as well as the displacement of over 2 million people. Reports from the ground estimate that an additional 500,000 have been killed since civil war erupted in 2003 and over 4,000 villages have been destroyed.
It is within this terrifying context that Salih Mahmoud Osman, a criminal constitutional lawyer with Sudan Organization Against Torture (SOAT) has been, at great personal risk, providing free legal aid to victims and survivors of violence and torture. Their crime is simply opposing government policies or sharing the same ethnicity as rebels in Darfur. While Mr. Osman visited Philadelphia to raise awareness of the situation in Darfur, we had the opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview. Dressed in a modest suit and tie, Mr. Osman met with us in a local business owned by a long-time friend on Baltimore Avenue. An eloquent and passionate speaker, Osman is eager to talk about the situation in Darfur while at the same time maintaining humility about his own work and achievements as a human rights defender.
It is not clear to us why the GoS would want to terrorize its own people. Osman clarified that, “The government is claiming that they’re applying Sharia law and applying Arab culture. Yet 90% of people are nonArabs, they have their own identity and culture. They don’t accept policies and the new ideology of fanatical Islam. Even though the people are Muslims, the government feels that they are not sufficiently adhering to the policies of the government. The Africans claim they are Muslims but not Arabs.” While the conflict in the South the longest-running civil war in Africa was marked by religious differences, the fact that the violence in Darfur is Muslim on Muslim makes it even more puzzling. Osman pointed out that the Arabs in Darfur look nothing like the Arabs in Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. In fact, one cannot tell them apart from members of the African tribes. Yet, those who do claim an Arab identity do so because it “allows them to feel superiority over the African tribes.” Ultimately, the GoS wishes to maintain power and control over the natural resources in the nation; oil, gold in the east, and grassland and water in Darfur.
According to Osman, the attack on civilians in Darfur is part of a larger plan by the GoS to create an entire Islamic empire. This goal is not so unrealistic considering that Sudan, the largest country in Africa borders nine other African nations. The nomadic Arab tribes in Sudan extend across borders, especially into Chad. The government can use these tribal relations and extensions to create disturbances and topple the Chad government. We spoke to Osman on April 13, 2006 about the possibility of Chad being drawn into the conflict. A couple hours later, international media reported that the political situation in Chad is threatened by destabilization.
Today, over 220,000 refugees reside in Chad while another 1.8 million displaced persons from Darfur live in camps inside Sudan. As the human rights violations increased, Mr. Osman helped to establish the Amal (Giving Hope in Distress) Center in October 2004. The Center not only provides legal aid to people who face capital charges under the penal code, but also medical treatment and psychosocial support for rape and torture survivors. The Center is a subsidiary of the London-based Sudan Organization against Torture, which is not licensed to work on the ground in Sudan. Since the Center opened in Nyala in south Darfur, staff have provided aid to more than 1,500 people. Last year they were able to open another center in El Fasher, in north Darfur.
Mr. Osman explained the dire situation of the victims in Darfur: “The rebels operating in Darfur are from affected tribes; they are primarily there to defend communities. Now anybody who opposes the government’s policies is considered a rebel and prosecuted, detained, and tortured. If they’re convicted, they’re sentenced to death. They are unable to hire lawyers.” He works with those who are willing to file a case but is honest with them and tells them not to have high expectations since it is rare for cases to yield positive results. The most they can offer to the majority of detainees who decide to file is the opportunity to document their stories. Sometimes this gives them comfort and satisfaction.
It is difficult, if not nearly impossible to hold perpetrators accountable or bring them to justice because they are mostly members of the police and the military who enjoy a great degree of impunity. Victims willing to take a risk and file charges are stumped early in the process as the court requires them to obtain permission from the highest commander in order to file a case. In other words, they must obtain permission from the very people they are trying to bring to justice. In the rare event that the case is accepted, it is usually defined as gross indecency which carries a relatively lax penalty of six months imprisonment. In addition, it is nearly impossible to conduct a successful rape case because according to the law of evidence you need four witnesses. Recently, the idea of targeted sanctions against individual perpetrators targeted sanctions on individuals, such as travel bans and freezing foreign bank accounts, has been under discussion. We asked whether the sanctions would be meaningful. Mr. Omsan answered that, “The crimes are serious. Perpetrators are at liberty to go around. We hear about sanctions and they’re under discussion. It is meaningful because it will send a signal to the most notorious perpetrators.” So far the SoG’s allies on the Security Council such as Qatar have been stalling progress on the sanctions.
The crux of the problem is that “our judicial system is not willing or capable of providing justice to the people of Sudan... there is no impartial judicial system in Sudan and there are no provisions.” It is here, that Mr. Osman feels that the international community can have a deep impact through the International Criminal Court by forcing the GoS to bring criminals to justice. Various international groups have been involved in Darfur in different capacities. Two of the major funders for the Amal Center are UNHCRF and Ford Foundation.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, both prohibited by the GoS to enter, re searched the situation and “explained to the world the nature of the crimes.” The government generally prevented international agencies from coming to Darfur, with the exception of the Red Cross, labelling aid efforts as foreign intervention.
In general, “survivors/victims appreciate the provision of material relief but still feel that the international community is not taking sufficient steps to stop the violence.” The ambiguous stance towards the international community is partly due to the report on Darfur by the International Commission of Inquiry, which investigated the nature of the atrocities and concluded that the GoS had not pursued a policy of genocide and that only a competent court could define the atrocities as genocide. However, in the same report they stated that the crimes committed “may be no less serious or heinous than genocide.” According to Mr. Osman, such conclusions are disheartening to the people of Darfur. “The people who hear such talk feel that the inter national community has let them down, that the story of Darfur is forgotten and slipping away into dark corners. No one is addressing it seriously, but there is still some hope. I heard last week that the international community is trying to find ways to protect civilians. My main interest is protection. There is killing still happening in camps and especially of young children who leave for firewood and water.” Osman pauses for a moment before continuing “Girls as young as eight raped...”, his voice trails off. He feels that the African Union is not providing adequate protection. The AU has agreed in principle to hand over peacekeeping duties to the United Nations this fall.
The need for protection cannot be overstated as the GoS has not only a long history of attacking civilians but also arresting and harassing human rights defenders. International watchdog groups allege that the GoS appears to be targeting human rights defenders to prevent news about serious violations from reaching the international media. Mr. Osman himself, who identifies as a member of the Fur ethnic group, was arrested and held incommunicado, mostly in solitary confinement without charge or trial for over seven months in 2004 by Sudanese security forces. Despite the fact that he was suffering from jaundice at the time of detention, he went on a hunger strike several months later to protest his arbitrary detention. 2000 letters poured into Sudan demanding a trial or release through international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights First. These letters, which he says came mainly from American citizens, along with demands from friends, lawyers, and community members in Sudan led to his release seven months later. Osman wished to thank everybody who contributed to the worldwide campaign for his release. Last year Human Rights Watch awarded him the highest honor the Human Rights Defender Award which brought him to the United States where he has been raising awareness of the grave violations of human rights in Darfur.
As we came to the close of the interview, we asked Mr. Osman about post-conflict options for justice. The International Commission of Inquiry’s report recommended setting up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Osman disagrees with the recommendation and feels it wouldn’t work like it did in South Africa. He pointed out that, “in South Africa it was displacement. In Darfur, it is ethnic cleansing. The nature of the atrocities makes it difficult that victims will be able to reconcile and accept apologies. Most violence was torture, rape, extra judicial killings. The rape mostly happened in front of male relatives; it was so humiliating that you cannot forget.... Also the government cannot be defined as one group like in SouthAfrica.... Also reconciliation makes confession necessary but the government is always denying. This is damaging to victims when the government says it is a conspiracy from the outside world.” We asked then what would be the best way to bring perpetrators to justice and begin the healing process for survivors. Mr. Osman replied that, “The International Criminal Court (ICC) will not be able to try all these people. It can only concentrate on the most notorious criminals Who will try others? If the ICC is not going to try all the cases there have to be alternative tribunals. It has to be a hybrid approach: we must work partly with international institutions provided there are reforms in the Sudanese court of criminal procedure and law of evidence. The current Sharia law is not in conformity with international conventions. We have to import not only the conventions but also the personnel because the judi ciary is mostly members of the ruling party. There is no impartiality.” The GoS, however, has indicated that it has no desire to cooperate with the ICC and will instead try criminals in a Special Court in Darfur.
For now, Mr. Osman continues his work at the Amal Center and is also a Member of the Parliament, which is a product of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Ultimately, Osman believes that the situation in Darfur will only improve through the serious involvement of the international community as well as the exercise of political will to create peace in Sudan.
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| العنوان |
الكاتب |
Date |
| الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-07-06, 05:25 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-08-06, 04:08 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | ابوعسل السيد احمد | 04-08-06, 04:35 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-08-06, 04:35 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-08-06, 09:44 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | محمد الامين محمد | 04-08-06, 09:56 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-08-06, 10:41 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | محمد الامين محمد | 04-09-06, 02:12 AM |
 Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | خالد العبيد | 04-08-06, 11:14 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Tragie Mustafa | 04-09-06, 01:13 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Tumadir | 04-09-06, 02:00 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-09-06, 11:14 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Tumadir | 04-09-06, 02:00 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-09-06, 01:45 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-09-06, 01:56 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Tumadir | 04-09-06, 02:19 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-09-06, 02:14 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-09-06, 11:49 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-09-06, 02:27 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-09-06, 02:31 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-09-06, 02:48 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عفاف ابوكشوه | 04-09-06, 05:32 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Tumadir | 04-09-06, 05:37 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-09-06, 10:50 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | محمدين محمد اسحق | 04-09-06, 11:52 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Tragie Mustafa | 04-09-06, 12:24 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-09-06, 01:20 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-12-06, 08:15 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عفاف ابوكشوه | 04-09-06, 12:09 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-09-06, 02:06 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-09-06, 02:23 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-09-06, 02:54 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-09-06, 04:43 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | محمد عبد المنعم عمر | 04-09-06, 04:58 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-12-06, 09:55 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | الواثق تاج السر عبدالله | 04-10-06, 11:11 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | محمدين محمد اسحق | 04-10-06, 03:01 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عبدالعظيم عبدالله | 04-28-06, 05:12 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-10-06, 05:52 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-10-06, 03:49 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عفاف ابوكشوه | 04-10-06, 07:19 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Tragie Mustafa | 04-11-06, 00:58 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-11-06, 02:42 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-11-06, 04:45 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Zoal Wahid | 04-11-06, 03:23 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-11-06, 10:34 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-11-06, 11:09 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-12-06, 00:33 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | نزار اسحاق عشر | 04-12-06, 08:48 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | hanadi yousif | 04-12-06, 10:15 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-12-06, 04:06 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-12-06, 10:00 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-13-06, 04:24 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | ابوعسل السيد احمد | 04-13-06, 07:00 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-13-06, 10:16 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-14-06, 02:16 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Tragie Mustafa | 04-14-06, 03:31 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-14-06, 04:29 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-16-06, 10:03 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Najat Al-Bashir | 04-16-06, 10:54 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-18-06, 07:22 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-17-06, 05:17 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Sabri Elshareef | 04-17-06, 07:15 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Khalid Kodi | 04-17-06, 01:50 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-18-06, 00:16 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-18-06, 07:07 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-19-06, 11:07 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور..والأستاذة تراجي مصطفي, كمان !! | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-19-06, 11:34 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | nada ali | 04-19-06, 12:45 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-19-06, 02:27 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-19-06, 02:33 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-19-06, 03:21 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-20-06, 07:58 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | hanadi yousif | 04-20-06, 08:15 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | nada ali | 04-20-06, 09:00 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-22-06, 12:43 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-22-06, 12:46 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-22-06, 12:54 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-22-06, 01:00 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-22-06, 01:06 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-22-06, 01:11 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-22-06, 10:09 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-22-06, 10:13 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-22-06, 10:29 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | ابنوس | 04-23-06, 08:37 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-23-06, 10:51 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Tumadir | 04-23-06, 10:54 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عاصم محمد شريف | 04-23-06, 11:16 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-24-06, 09:26 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-24-06, 07:27 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عشة بت فاطنة | 04-25-06, 06:35 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-25-06, 11:26 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Najat Al-Bashir | 04-25-06, 08:41 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-26-06, 09:20 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 04-27-06, 09:49 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-28-06, 10:19 AM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 04-28-06, 04:37 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | عمر ادريس محمد | 05-01-06, 12:37 PM |
| Re: الأستاذ صالح محمود يبدأ حملة دارفور | Mohamed Elgadi | 05-01-06, 12:47 PM |
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