The Human Rights Council appoints an expert to monitor violations in Sudan
The United Nations Human Rights Council approved a British-sponsored resolution on Sudan condemning the military coup and providing for the appointment of an expert to monitor alleged human rights violations in the period that followed.
The 47-member council took the step in an emergency session in Geneva on Friday, which will require an expert to monitor the situation on the ground and submit a written report to the council by the mid-2022 session.
Simon Manley, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, told the council, "We stand shoulder to shoulder in this afternoon with the brave people of Sudan who have demonstrated in their millions in the streets of the country in defense of democracy and basic rights."
At the same meeting on Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on Sudan's military leaders to reverse their stance and stop using lethal force, which she said had caused at least 13 civilian deaths so far.
"I urge the Sudanese military leaders and their supporters to step back to allow the country to return to the path of progress towards institutional and legal reforms," she added.
She added that the release of detainees, including politicians, journalists and protesters, is "necessary for an inclusive dialogue and quick promises of civilian rule."
The United Nations is seeking to end the political crisis caused by the coup through talks between Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who has been placed under house arrest, and army commanders.
Germany's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Katrina Stach, said that the resolution, which Germany, Norway and the United States participated in preparing, represented an "important step to ensure accountability for violations of human rights."
US envoy Robert Riley also pledged that the United States would continue its "maximum effort" to support Sudan's democratic aspirations.
The session was attended by the Sudanese ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali bin Abi Talib Abdul Rahman Mahmoud, the representative of the ousted government, and told Reuters on the sidelines that he supported the decision.
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