Clashes in Sudan and subsequent media censorship

Tabled by Judith Sargentini, Barbara Lochbihler, Raül Romeva i Rueda on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

The European Parliament,

- Having regard to its previous resolutions on Sudan,

- Having regard to the Rule 122 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to its previous resolutions,

A.  Whereas protests and riots erupted in Sudan protesting against the lifting of fuel subsidies, which has resulted in basic commodities price increase; whereas according to human rights activists about 150 protestors died after security forces opened fire on crowds,

B.  Whereas the Sudanese government has taken measure against media, including censorship, seizing newspapers, harassing journalists, disconnecting the Internet to suppress media coverage of the protests;

C.  Whereas opposition party members, journalist, civil society activists, women’s rights activist were arrested following the National security authorities crackdown who have refused to tell family members where detainees are being held;

D.  Whereas under Sudan's 2010 National Security Act, the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) is allowed to detain suspects for up to four and a half months without any form of judicial review,

E.  Whereas the government has set up an investigation committee and promised to bring to justice those responsible for killing

F.  Reminding that the government of Sudan has cut subsidies to ease its financial difficulties following the independence of the oil rich South Sudan, which deprived Khartoum of three-quarters of the crude output it relied on for state revenues and foreign currency;

G. Whereas the lack of agreement on transitional economic arrangements between the Sudan and South Sudan, including on the use of oil has contributed significantly to the present crisis,

H. Whereas the distrust between the two neighbouring countries over the division of national debt and how much the land-locked South should pay to transport its oil through Sudan are amongst other unsettled issues;

I. Whereas decades of mutual distrust prevent either side from making gestures towards pursuing serious negotiations and agree on regional development, peace,

J.  Whereas a large part of the population in the region remains food insecure, a situation that has been aggravated by the conflict, rising commodity prices

1.  Condemns the killings , the violence against demonstrators, media censorship, political intimidation, harassment and arbitrary arrest of human rights and political activists and journalists,

2.  Calls on the Sudanese government to release all detainees including opposition party members, journalists, civil society activists, women’s rights activists unless they are promptly charged with recognizable crimes;

3.  Urge the Sudanese government to put an end to these censorship measures and to guarantee access to independent sources of information in order to encourage dialogue;

4.  Call on the Sudanese government to respect the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights including the right to life and physical integrity, freedom of association and freedom of assembly,

5.  Calls on the authorities, while welcoming their decision to set up an investigation committee to bring to justice those responsible for killings, to proceed with a comprehensive investigation including all reported killings;

6.  Calls on the Sudanese government to review its National Security Act, which allows the detention of suspects for up to four and half months without any form of judicial review, and calls also on the Sudanese government to reform its legal system in accordance with international human rights standards,

7.  Calls on the Sudanese government to repeal the death penalty sentence, which is still in force and calls the government to commute death sentences to appropriate alternative sanctions,

8.  Strongly urges Sudan and South Sudan governments to reach an agreement on the unsolved transitional economic arrangements between the two countries, including on the use of oil which has contributed to the current unrest in Sudan,

9.  Instructs its Co-President to forward this resolution to the Council, European Commission, EU High Representative, the EU special representative to South Sudan, the government of Sudan, the government of South Sudan, the UN and the African Union.