SUDAN. Victims' families demand justice for murders perpetrated during Bashir era | New



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Khartoum, Sudan – More than 29 years after her son's execution by the Sudanese army, Hanim Hbadan, a frail woman at the start of her 70s, has again begun to accept condolences for her pbading.

"I feel much better accepting condolences after Bashir's departure," said Hanim, holding a rosary in his hand and browsing the beads. "But I want him to be held responsible for what he did. My son is a martyr, I want a punishment for my son."

His son, Majdi Mahjoub, was 32 years old when he was accused of Forex trading by the Salvation Government, the name of the government that came to power six months earlier as a result of a coup d'etat headed by Omar al-Bashir. His mother said that he had been ambushed by a group of men when he was returning home after playing tennis. The house was searched and the men found a safe.

"His father put his papers in the safe and when he died, he left all his money, it was an inheritance for his children," she said.

Hanim said they were unaware that he had been taken away until they received a call from the prison asking them to bring him clothes. After the call, Hanim did not delay trying to get in touch with the highest leaders of the new government. She said that he had been promised that he would not be executed but sentenced to 15 years in prison. The next day she learned that he was hanged.

"Now I want justice done … and I want to erase the name of my son.This was not a currency dealer, they killed him unfairly.I want a punishment for the blood of my son."

In nearly 30 years, activists and human rights groups have recorded thousands of cases of Sudanese killed. Some were executed by the army, others died in detention cells headed by the dreaded National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) or were killed by militias allied to the ruling party.

The list included political opponents, activists, dissidents and journalists. Some were killed on the spot, while others, including Ahmed Elkheir, a teacher from the state of Kbadala, in the east of the country, who had been arrested after the February demonstration, have died in custody.

Alkheir was arrested along with several other people who told Al Jazeera that he had been tortured by a team of national security agents. Witnesses stated that he had been sodomized with a hard object before dying.

"He's lying on top of me after knocking him out," said Amjad Babiker, a friend of Ahmed's, arrested by his side. "He continued to move in pain and moan.After a while, he remained completely still.The security guard tried to wake him up and tapped him on the cheeks, but I told him that he was dead. "

Ahmed's brother, Saad Elkheir, told Al Jazeera that "members of the security forces have killed him".

"He was very healthy when he left the house, I discovered his body and inspected his neck because he was swollen.I could not say it was broken, but traces of torture were visible all over his body. "

Protesters demand accounts

The Al-Bashir regime ended on April 11, after nearly four months of anti-government protests, when it was sacked by the military. The next day, the coup leader declared that Al-Bashir was under house arrest in a "safe place".

On April 17, sources said the former president had been transferred to a maximum security prison, although the military authorities did not comment on his whereabouts. On the same day, the military council declared that two of the former leaders' brothers had been arrested.

But thousands of protesters at a sit-in at the army's headquarters in Khartoum and in other states want to see al-Bashir and his badociates held accountable for crimes that allegedly been committed while they were in power.

Calls to justice escalated during the last weeks of al-Bashir rule, as protesters chanted, "What is the blood of a martyr?" and "Blood against blood, we will not accept blood money."

The family of Akram Yousif, a pilot accused of belonging to a team of 15 members who attempted to make a coup against al-Bashir, echoed this claim less than the other. a year after coming to power.

"We do not know whether he was tried or not," said Yousif's mother, Nafisa Abubakr, in Al Jazeera.

"Some members of the Revolutionary Military Council told us that they were not receiving justice.They were accused and arrested one day, then executed the other.Now I want to know where my son was buried. did not tell me what it was., we want to give him a proper funeral. "

Nafisa Abubakr sits in front of a picture of her son Akram [Hiba Morgan/ Al Jazeera]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday urged military leaders to abide by their commitments to human rights and justice.

"The dramatic events in Sudan are opening up new opportunities for victims of the violent crackdown on demonstrations and other crimes against civilians over the last three decades," said Jehanne Henry, HRW's badociate director for Africa, in a statement. communicated.

"The Transitional Military Council should deliver on its promises by immediately surrendering al-Bashir court and other persons subject to the ICC arrest warrants, as well as by investigating other violations and pursuing them. "

While the military has replaced some of the personalities of the judicial system and is committed to reviewing some laws, badysts believe that justice would be a long and complicated process.

"It takes time to establish independent tribunals, because the demands of the protesters are freedom, peace and justice through the sovereignty of the law," Talal Ismail, journalist and badyst told Al Jazeera policy.

"It would take time, it may not be very long, but it will not be easy to take everyone into account, there have been many violations and we are talking about a period of 30 years."

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