Laa-Laa لا لا موقع شباب السودان الحر
Letter of Appeal
To: European Union – Sudan
Ref: Concerns about Baggari Wrongful Execution
We have witnessed many incidences in which the Government of Sudan has committed massive and severe human rights violations, of which Bagarri case is not an exception. Baggari was arrested last year as part of Sharq Elneel University incidents, during which the unfortunate death of student Mohammed Awad, a member of National Congress Party (NCP) occurred.
The Government of Sudan has politicized the case and arrested Baggari because he is one of the Darfur Students Association (DSA) leaders, and those incidents took place when DSA was having a cultural event on April 29th, 2015. NCP students attacked the event using light arms, which was a typical act of aggression the NCP Jihadi Units conduct against students who don’t affiliate with NCP. Many students were injured during those incidents and Mohammed Awad was killed.
Though Baggari was severely injured at the head, he was arrested and detained by National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) on May 5th, 2015, even before he heals. Ever since, he has been subjected to torture by NISS agents, and was pressurized to confess that he killed Mohammed Awad. Baggari consistently claimed to be innocent all time long until he faced intense pressure to make a false confession, we believe, in the court held on November 8th, 2015. The ruling was five years’ imprisonment and SDG 40,000 (Forty thousand Sudanese pounds) blood money.
Eventually, June 23rd, 2016, the Court has sentenced him to death penalty. We, Sudanese activists, are highly concerned that Baggari is an innocent victim of death penalty.
We believe, in the first place that the death penalty should be abolished, and we are against its use by the court system to punish opponents and as a tool for repression. We subscribe to the concept of the rule of law and independence of judiciary. Consequently, we have consulted some lawyers who seriously believe that the court proceedings were unfair, and that all the circumstances surrounding the case are suspicious.
Baggari has survived Darfur war and his family fled the war and ended up in Attash refugee camp, hence, he worked hard enough to join the university, and would not do any wrong-doing to jeopardize such a chance.
Apparently, this has been the Government’s practice in dealing with students who oppose its policies as there are more cases of students who are facing the same fate. For example, Asim Omer and Sabah Elzain, who are still detained by NISS and will most likely be subjected to similar unfair proceedings, torture and aggressive handling.
Unfortunately, it is worth mentioning that the violent threats to Darfur students included racial slur and profiling. Baggari himself heard the phrase: “cut the head of the A3b “; meaning niger and slave in Arabic.
We are deeply concerned with the double standards of the Government of Sudan in dealing with victims of systematic violence in universities. Such double standards have been demonstrated in many documented cases where the government never opens investigations on incidents that led to Baggari case and the unfortunate death of two students; Abubkar-Elidiq Mohammed of Kordofan University and Mohammed Ellsadig of the Ahliya University.
Therefore, we strongly appeal to you hoping that you will urgently take appropriate actions in addressing such severe violations of human rights and save the life of Mr. Baggari.
We strongly demand that the government of Sudan:
1. Opens impartial investigations on all the cases of students deaths;
2. Stops the instigation of violence and aggression among students and shall demobilize and disarm Jihadi units;
3. Provides immediate and serious intervention to address the psychological state of students who are forced to move to other schools to avoid the threats of security forces and the NCP students.
4. Ceases political harassment, arbitrary arrests and detention without trials of students as well as the use of courts of law as a repression tool, through filing of fake cases against them.
Thank you in advance.
Yours sincerely.
Signed by:
– Darfur Students Association.
– Darfur Civil Society Forum (DaCiF).
– We are all Mohammed Baggari Initiative.
– We are for Baggari Initiative.
– Colorful Flags Revolution Initiative.
– Peace and Democracy Center (US).
– Revolutionary Current.
Sudan Democracy First.
-Civil Society Initiative.
E-mail Address: fair.cause.info@gmail.com
