In the case of the fifth victim, the family had not agreed to receive compensation. The government usually did not inform foreign missions in time about the detention of their citizens. The government generally failed to investigate violations by other branches of the security forces.
The government continued to arrest and harass members of the legal profession it considered political opponents. In its January 19 report, the UN panel of experts on Sudan characterized the government's strategy under Operation Decisive Summer as one of "collective punishment of towns and communities from which armed opposition groups are suspected to originate or operate". The report describes a pattern of airstrikes. There were also numerous reports of the SAF using cluster bombs in the Two Areas.
Respect for Civil Liberties, Including
Violence and Harassment: The government, including NISS, continued to arrest, harass, intimidate and torture journalists and vocal critics of the government. NISS has initiated and continued legal action against journalists for stories critical of the government and security services. Although the Interim National Constitution and law provide for freedom of assembly, the government has severely curtailed this right.
Human rights observers believed that the statement was issued under government pressure (see section 1.b.). The Constitution and the Interim National Law provide for freedom of association, but the government severely limited this right. In the absence of general assemblies, the government prevented some organizations from holding elections or filling vacant positions.
The government has not specified which terms of the law have been violated by the groups in question. The government hampered the work of UN agencies and delayed the full approval of their activities across the country, particularly in the Two Areas. Traveling abroad: The government requires citizens to obtain an exit visa if they want to leave the country.
As in previous years, the government refused to establish formal IDP or refugee camps in Khartoum or the two areas. An estimated 40,000 lived in shatytowns, informal settlements known as "open areas". The government did not officially recognize this. However, access to basic services remained limited and the government controlled humanitarian actors' access to the area.
Employment: In principle, the government allows refugees to work, but work permits are rarely issued (even to refugees who have obtained a higher degree in Sudan).
Freedom to Participate in the Political Process
As of November, seven of the victims were housed in the Kassala Security Center and served as witnesses for the prosecution. In 2013, the government announced that it would issue approximately 30,000 work permits to Eritrean refugees in Kassala in the eastern region as part of a joint UNHCR/UN Development Program (UNDP) "Transitional Solutions Initiative". In urban centres, the majority of refugees worked in the informal sector (for example as tea sellers, maids and drivers), leaving them at increased risk of arrest, exploitation and abuse.
Several parts of the CPA intended to clarify the status of southern groups remaining in the north after the secession of South Sudan continued to be the subject of negotiations between the governments of Sudan, South Sudan and rebel groups. Recent Elections: The executive and legislative elections at the national and state levels held from 13 to 16 April did not meet international standards. According to the President of the National Electoral Commission, the votes were counted in the elections, representing approximately 46% participation.
Early in the year, the government announced that it would postpone the holding of a national dialogue until after the national elections in April, and it made changes to the interim national constitution. Nevertheless, in August, President Bashir chaired a meeting of the High Coordination Committee of the National Dialogue. The committee also selected 50 (later increased to 70) national persons to participate in the National Dialogue Conference, besides approving 12 persons to chair six discussion committees and 26 persons to form the General Secretariat of the National Dialogue.
The government started the dialogue on October 10, although major opposition parties and rebel groups continued to boycott the process until the end of the year. In July 2014, the National Assembly increased the number of seats in the national and state assemblies from 25 to 30 percent based on state-level women's lists.
Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government
However, the government expanded the dialogue to allow greater participation by political and armed opposition groups. On August 26, the Council of Ministers, chaired by the Minister of the Presidency, approved the 2015 Anti-Corruption Commission Act submitted by the Minister of Justice. The bill aimed to establish an anti-corruption commission for all levels of government to increase transparency in financial and administrative transactions.
In April 2014, two employees of the Khartoum state governor's office were accused of running a massive embezzlement scheme. The two men remained at large, however, and were not brought to trial during the year. Despite two different bodies ostensibly charged with fighting official corruption, there was no effective enforcement or prosecution of offenders.
In October, the country was deemed compliant with anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing regulations and removed from the international Financial Action Task Force blacklist. Public access to information: In January, the government passed a freedom of information law to promote greater transparency and allow citizens greater access to information. Throughout the year, local and international human rights observers and journalists remained skeptical that the law would improve access.
The law excludes 12 categories of information that could be considered classified, including personal information and information about national security, foreign policy and criminal proceedings.
Governmental Attitude Regarding International and
The government arrested international human rights and humanitarian workers associated with NGOs, including in Darfur (see section 1.g.). On April 16, authorities arrested prominent human rights lawyer Adil Bakhei, whose laptop was confiscated during the TRACKS raid in March. The government is a party to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights, overseen by the AU.
Government human rights bodies: The Government Advisory Council on Human Rights is responsible for advising the government on necessary reforms and preparing official government reports on human rights, as required by the United Nations. The Advisory Council did not respond to requests from international organizations to investigate human rights violations and did not provide the international community with lists of banned individuals. In 2013, the Advisory Council published the National Action Plan for the Protection of Human Rights in Sudan 2013-2023.
The plan discussed human rights education, civil and political rights, legal reform and capacity building for international human rights and humanitarian law. The National Human Rights Commission is an independent body of 15 members to monitor respect for human rights in the country, receive complaints from citizens about human rights violations and evaluate the government's compliance with international human rights treaties. The commission has refrained from publicly stating its position on some high-profile human rights cases.
In its October 9 report, UNESCO called on the government to bring the commission into line with the Paris principles and ensure its financial independence and autonomy. Security forces prevented NGOs, human rights lawyers and members of the opposition from filing complaints with the commission on several occasions.
Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons
The government tried to curb the spread of FGM/C and made public awareness campaigns a top priority. The government agreed to a three-year program with UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO to end FGM/C in the country. In October, the government organized a conference in Khartoum to promote the Saleema campaign and initiatives against FGM/C.
In 2013, the government reported that overall female enrollment had increased to 69 percent, as a result of a national education strategy focused on girls. The government attempted to enforce laws criminalizing child abuse and was more likely to prosecute cases involving child abuse and sexual exploitation of children than cases involving adults. The government tried to enforce laws criminalizing the sexual exploitation of children; However, NGOs reported that social stigma prevented many families from pursuing legal cases against perpetrators.
Child prostitution also remained a problem, although the government denied that the phenomenon existed in the country. Although the law, including the interim national constitution, provides protection for persons with disabilities, social stigma and lack of resources hindered government enforcement of disability laws. The law does not specifically prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities, but it stipulates: "The state must guarantee persons with special needs the enjoyment of all rights.
The government has not enacted laws or implemented effective programs to allow access to buildings for persons with disabilities. The Muslim majority and the government continued to discriminate against ethnic minorities in almost every aspect of society.
Worker Rights
There were credible reports that the government routinely intervened to rig elections for professional, trade and student associations. The government stated that it investigated and prosecuted forced labor cases, but did not compile comprehensive statistics on the subject. According to the Children's Act, 12 years is the minimum age at which children can perform "light work". The Ministry of Social Affairs, Women's and Children's Affairs is responsible for enforcing child labor laws.
The law prohibits the employment of young people in dangerous industries and workplaces, in jobs that require great physical effort, or in activities that harm their morals. The law allows minors to work seven hours a day, interrupted by one hour of paid rest. The government did not always enforce such laws because of inadequate resources to monitor labor areas or overcome social complicity.
Most child labor occurred in the informal sector, including menial jobs that the government did not have the resources to comprehensively monitor. The government did not effectively enforce labor laws and regulations, and penalties were insufficient to deter violations. The law limits the working week to 40 hours (five eight-hour days, not including a 30-minute to one-hour daily break), with rest on Friday and Saturday.
The law provides for paid annual leave after one year of continuous employment and paid vacation after three months. The law requires the owner of an industrial company to inform employees about occupational risks and to provide means of protection against such risks.
