Amnesty warns of consequences for Sudan’s constitutional amendments

The annual Amnesty International Report 2014/15 ‘The state of the world’s human rights’ has described the constitutional amendments made by Sudan in 2015 as a serious transformation.

Ahmed El Zubair, a researcher at Amnesty International, said in an interview with Radio Dabanga on Sunday that “these amendments have increased the powers of the security apparatus, turned it into a totalitarian organ with political, security and military tasks. They also enhance the powers of the President which changes the whole concept of the Sudan’s 2005 Constitution.”

El Zubair added that a delegation from the organisation visited South Kordofan and documented the serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

He accuses the Sudanese government of launching air and ground attacks on civilians, as well as denial of humanitarian aid delivery which, is considered a war crime according to international humanitarian law

The Amnesty International Report also reads: “The UN Human Rights Council failed to respond effectively to the conflicts in Sudan, for example, despite a critical need for independent human rights monitoring, reporting and accountability. In Darfur, a review of investigations into Unamid was announced by the UN Secretary-General in July, in response to allegations that Unamid staff had covered-up human rights abuses.”

Read the complete Amnesty International Report 2014/15 ‘The state of the world’s human rights’ (PDF)