The detention of the head of the “No to the oppression of women in Sudan” initiative provokes widespread reactions

KHARTOUM -

Just before midnight on January 22, an armed force stormed the house of the head of the "No to Oppression of Women" initiative in Sudan, Amira Othman, and took her to an unknown location for several days, before later placing her in prison.

Amira is one of the most prominent activists concerned with women's issues and their equity in Sudan, at a time when women are still subjected to violations by the official security forces, especially during their participation in protests calling for the return of civilian rule and the departure of the military.

Despite slight progress on women’s rights after the events of the Sudanese revolution, which entered its transitional phase in April 2019 and gave them a noticeable amount of freedom on the street without security prosecutions because of their dress or presence in some public areas, the security grip has tightened around them again, Especially after the actions of the army chief on October 25, in which he overthrew the partnership with civilians, imposed an emergency, and arrested influential people, including the former prime minister.

forced concealment

According to lawyers and jurists, what Amira Othman and hundreds of others were subjected to preventive detention is classified legally in the context of "enforced disappearance", which contravenes the "International Convention for the Protection of Persons from Enforced Disappearance of 2006", which Sudan ratified on February 23, 2021.

A member of the "No to Women's Oppression" initiative, Tahani Abbas, says that the initiative's leader was arrested under emergency order No. 3 issued by the army chief, but she stressed - in her talk to Al Jazeera Net - that there are no reasons for detaining a princess, and no charges have been brought against her so far.

Last Wednesday, dozens of activists participated in a protest stand in front of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, after which the High Commissioner was handed a memorandum calling for the immediate release of the detainees, led by Amira Othman, or for her to be brought to trial, in addition to the Commissioner's invitation to register a visit to women's detainees facing extremely deteriorating conditions.

Several human rights groups are pressing for the release of Amira Othman, including the Regional Coalition of Women Defenders - a coalition of human rights groups in the Middle East and North Africa - which expressed concern about the health condition of the Sudanese activist, which puts her at greater risk.

The coalition documented - from November 2021 until last January 22 - an escalation in violations against women and women rights defenders in Sudan, including beatings, physical and sexual violence, and finally the enforced disappearance of leadership in the "No to the oppression of women" initiative and members of the coalition.

Amira was arrested in a humiliating manner, according to her legal sister Amani, who said that an armed force of about 30 people, some of whom were as, stormed their house on the night of January 22 and kidnapped her disabled sister after insulting her family members.

The "No to Women's Oppression" initiative says that its detained chief "is still suffering from complications from an accident, which requires continuous medical follow-up and medication."

A few days ago, the family of the activist, Amira, said that she had written a report to the prosecution accusing security agencies of kidnapping their daughter.

Her sister, Amani, told a group of journalists that they went to the police station without finding cooperation from the responsible officer, who informed them that Amira was being held by the General Intelligence Service, but the latter denied her detention before returning later to inform them that their sister was being held in the women's prison in Umm Dorman, however, acquaintances of them in the same prison informed them that her name was not on the lists of female prisoners who were recently brought in.

Later, Amani - Al Jazeera Net - reported that her sister is being held in the women's prison, and that the prison administration asked them to bring some personal supplies, but she refused to allow them to visit her without written permission from the General Intelligence Service.

Amani - a lawyer - suggested that the reason for her sister's detention was for her activities in the field of human rights and resistance committees, and revealed the approval of the Public Prosecution, one day after her sister's arrest, to open a criminal case against the force that kidnapped Amira - who was wearing civilian clothes - on kidnapping charges. and criminal trespass, but the Riyadh police station did not initiate investigation procedures.

On August 10, 2017, Amira Othman suffered an accident after the wall of a neighboring house collapsed, causing her to fracture the neck, skull and back, to begin a treatment journey that ended in Germany, and her doctor there confirmed that she could gradually regain the ability to walk.

Her sister, Amani, says that the family is concerned about Amira's health condition, who "needs a special bed and a bathroom with special specifications", in addition to continuous health follow-up from her treating physician, which are not available to her in detention.

Amira’s legal activity, according to her sister, began when she was a student at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Technology, before she and others founded the “No to Women’s Oppression” initiative, in which she held the position of general secretary, before becoming the initiative’s president.

Because of her activism, she was subjected to arbitrary police detention several times under the previous regime, and she also sustained a crack in the skull during her participation in a vigil that was organized in front of a court during the trial of a female journalist, when the security forces brutally suppressed that vigil at the time.

Amani describes her sister as "a strong personality who confronts everything she really sees, which exposes her to various difficulties, including the current detention despite her critical health condition."

Ehsan Faqiri - one of the doctors supervising the treatment of the detained activist - had previously spoken about the fact that the detainee's health condition makes her suffer from a partial disability that prevents her from leading her normal life.

She added, "We believe that her life is in danger."

The princess was elected in January 2021 as the main leader of the "No to the oppression of women" initiative, which was established in 2009, and at that time she was working to oppose the "public order" law - which was later repealed - and to support the victims of its legal, social and psychological implementation.

After the start of the Sudanese revolution, the initiative became a civil political pressure group working to advocate for human rights and women.