For
Declaration of basic principles for voluntary unity and peace in Sudan
(initial project)
August 9, 2004
General principles
1- All peoples of the Sudanese nation have the right to self-determination, to strive to achieve their political, economic, social and cultural development, and to freely dispose of their wealth and natural resources, which requires enjoying the freedoms and rights detailed in international human rights conventions.
2- Refusing to invoke cultural or religious specificity to challenge or diminish the universality of human rights principles or justify their violation, and emphasizing that the specificity that should be celebrated is that which consolidates the citizen’s sense of dignity and equality, enriches his culture and life, and enhances his participation in the management of Sudan’s affairs. Emphasizing that the human tolerance of religions should not be put in artificial conflict with the principles of human rights, and warning against invoking Salafist interpretations that have outdated the era, and clinging to them and conferring sanctity on them - despite being a human effort - constitutes an insult to Islam and Muslims and a waste of human rights, especially with regard to violating the rights of women, and confiscating freedoms of conscience, thought, belief, scientific research, and artistic and literary creativity.
3- Refrain from methods of manipulating national sentiments, religious feelings, and the principle of sovereignty in order to deviate from commitment to international human rights standards. The struggle of the peoples of the Sudanese nation and their struggle for their just demands should not be used to justify the approach of restricting freedoms and denying democratic transformation and respect for human rights.
4- The right of all the peoples of the Sudanese nation to enjoy civil representative systems of government, which recognizes their rights to initiate for themselves and themselves the management of public affairs through free and fair elections, and to have equal opportunities for the Sudanese citizen - regardless of his ethnic, political, religious or linguistic affiliation - to hold public and political positions in Sudan.
5- The neutrality of the public authority towards followers of different religions and sects within one religion, with a commitment to guaranteeing the right of all citizens to perform their religious rituals without discrimination among them in public rights.
6- That the constitution recognizes the right to intellectual, political and partisan pluralism, provided that political parties are based on citizenship, and that the formation or practice of parties that incite violence is prohibited.
7- Human rights in all fields constitute an interconnected and indivisible package. Women's rights are also an integral part of human rights. Women's rights to dignity and legal capacity that make them able to control their destiny, and their right to equality with men in rights and duties, should be recognized.
8- Respect for human rights and public freedoms, foremost among which is full equality in dignity and citizenship, and in the enjoyment of all rights, should constitute the proper approach to dealing with the problems of Sudanese ethnic, regional, religious and cultural groups. Ignoring this fact over many years has led to the waste of human energies and the depletion of resources in fierce internal wars that are still raging and have inflicted and continue to cause severe damage to our people, fuel secessionist tendencies, and open the door to various forms of acts of revenge and external intervention.
9- Renouncing violence in political life, and all forms of incitement to religious, sectarian, or ethnic hatred from all parties, whether governmental or non-state, and rejecting all forms of racial discrimination against any of the peoples of the Sudanese nation.
10- A state of emergency may only be declared in the event of an actual war, or a partial emergency in cases of disaster, and it shall be lifted as soon as the situation that necessitated its declaration has disappeared. Emergency authorities are prohibited from using their powers except in relation to facts related to these reasons. No one may be arbitrarily arrested or detained, and every person has the right to refer to the judicial body so that it can decide without delay on the legality of his detention, and order his release if the detention is illegal.
Basic demands
1- Ending martial law and lifting the state of emergency.
2- Suspension of all exceptional laws and decrees.
3- Stop the practices of preventive and administrative detention, release all prisoners of conscience and detainees without charge, put an end to the prosecution and criminalization of those who differ in opinion, and allow political opponents to return without conditions and with legal guarantees.
4- Putting a final end to the practices of torture - considering it a crime against humanity - prosecuting its perpetrators and holding them accountable, and closing illegal prisons.
5- Ending state control over all media, and codifying the right of peaceful assembly and organization for all intellectual and political groups and forces within the framework of a democratic law and constitution.
6- Creating national mechanisms to protect human rights, by establishing national institutions for this purpose, strengthening existing ones and adapting them in accordance with international standards in this field.
8- Drop all legislative and procedural restrictions on the freedom to form and manage professional and labor unions and civil society organizations.
9- Do not allow religious institutions to exercise censorship over political, intellectual, literary and artistic activity in any way.
10- Take immediate measures for administrative and financial reform, combat corruption, confront the plunder of public funds, and strengthen transparency and accountability mechanisms.
11- Ensuring the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights within the framework of the optimal use of the resources available to the state. The lack of state resources does not exempt the state from ensuring the minimum of these rights, especially for the most vulnerable groups of Sudanese, and for marginalized areas deprived of services, and ensuring international labor standards, including the right to strike.
12- Recognizing the rights of the child related to survival, development, protection and participation in accordance with the principles of non-discrimination and the best interest of children as affirmed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the protocols attached to the Convention.
13- Protecting human rights defenders and their right to obtain information, hold meetings, and communicate with all concerned parties, and their right to use international and national law to defend human rights from home and abroad, in accordance with the Universal Declaration for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders.
Ethnic, cultural and religious diversity
1- Acknowledgment of the ethnic, linguistic, cultural, customary and religious pluralism that is distinctive of the mosaic of peoples of the Sudanese nation, and respect for human rights, foremost of which is full equality and the enjoyment of full citizenship rights.
2- Complete condemnation of all acts of oppression, tyranny, and waging wars against groups demanding their natural rights, especially acts of genocide, forced displacement, and sexual assault on women, as they constitute crimes against humanity, and denouncing policies and practices that are based on exclusion from political participation on sectarian or religious grounds regarding the linguistic and cultural rights of all the peoples of the Sudanese nation, considering them one of the components of Sudanese national culture on the basis of equality, the right to citizenship, respect for human rights, and partnership in the homeland.
3- Facilitating the return of refugees and internally displaced persons due to conditions of war, oppression, famine, or cases of widespread human rights violations, and preparing the appropriate infrastructure for their settlement in their areas and compensating them for the injustice and damage they suffered.
Education and media
The transitional government must do the following to address religious discourse:
* Reviewing the contents of religious discourse in religious and non-religious education curricula, developing and enriching them with the ideas of religious reformers, and taking into account that all religions and sects are treated equally in media programs and educational curricula.
* Reviewing the contents of the religious discourse prevalent in the Salvation Government’s audio and visual media and developing it in a way that makes it compatible with the problems of the current era, and not obscuring the efforts of historical and contemporary advocates of religious renewal.
* Obligating Sudanese Islamic clerics and thinkers to refrain from exploiting the sanctity of religion and forcing it to incite the confiscation of thought, literature, and the application of reason. Distinguishing between Islam as a religion and jurisprudence as knowledge produced by human jurists and scholars.
* Organizing special training courses on renewing religious discourse for mosque preachers, imams, editors of religious pages in newspapers, preparers of religious programs in the audio and visual media, and teachers of religious institutes, with the participation of renewers of religious thought and human rights advocates.
* Obliging Christian clerics to renew religious discourse in a way that enhances the culture of human rights, acceptance of others, and enlightenment, and to present a religious vision that helps the integration of Sudanese Christians into one nation and their equal contribution to the progress and advancement of society.
Women's rights
* Providing equal opportunities for women and men in political participation by providing opportunities for education and economic and political support, in addition to allocating positions for women in decision-making institutions and others to ensure their full and effective participation, and the necessity of allocating a percentage of seats in Parliament and other representative institutions for women, as a temporary measure until favorable conditions are available for women’s voluntary work, and awareness of the importance of gender equality and the elimination of all forms of discrimination increases.
* Abolishing the contents of discrimination in all national legislation, and issuing civil laws to regulate personal status.
* Combating all forms of violence against women by developing legal mechanisms and necessary services to provide protection and treatment for victims of violence.
* The necessity of involving women’s organizations and human rights organizations in reviewing existing legislation, and in developing civil and criminal laws to enable a decisive response to all forms of violence and discrimination.
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