Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-11-Speech-2-134"
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"en.20071211.31.2-134"2
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"Mr President, thank you for this tremendous honour. This prize is awarded as a unanimous vote of the European Parliament – a fact which gives me great satisfaction, but more importantly one which gives me the opportunity to speak to you today.
Right now, the two identified suspects Kosheib and Haroun are still beyond the reach of justice. The Government of Sudan is insisting that it will never hand them over to the ICC.
Darfur is not the only region of Sudan which suffers from abuses of human rights. Indeed, citizens from every part of Sudan face daily restrictions on their freedom of expression, freedom of association and other basic rights that many people in Europe take for granted. I urge you, also, to encourage and promote the rule of law in my country, so that all citizens of Sudan can enjoy their individual and collective rights. In the light of the upcoming elections in 2009, we must ensure that free and fair elections take place, and that a free and fair result will be respected by all sides.
Lastly, I would like to thank you, the Members of the European Parliament, who came to Sudan in June of this year to see with your own eyes what I have described. This was a visit coordinated by the office of the European Commission in Khartoum. The office of the European Commission has been a source of great support and a partner to me in my work for many years now. The recognition of the European Commission and of you, the European Parliament, for the work of human rights defenders in Sudan gives us the courage and determination to continue to speak for the victims, and relieve some of their suffering.
In conclusion, I am proud to accept this honour on behalf of the other candidates to this prize: the Russian journalist assassinated last year, Anna Politkovskaya; the Chinese dissidents, Zeng Jinyan and Hu Jia; and the Afghani MP and women’s rights activist, Joya Malalai, and also on behalf of so many Sudanese who believe – as I do – in human dignity and the pursuit of justice.
Thank you so much.
I am a native of Darfur, born in Jebel Marra, which is a mountainous region located in the centre of Darfur State. I have worked as a lawyer in Darfur in Sudan for many years. I have been a victim of detention and torture because of my work. Members of my own family have been tortured and displaced by the militia in Darfur. For many years, in my work, I have represented thousands of people who needed my help in front of the Courts. I have seen thousands of people who have been tortured; I have seen hundreds of women and young girls who have been victims of sexual abuse; I have seen the four million who have been forcibly displaced from their homes and those two and a half million who are confined, as we speak now, in the camps around the cities of Darfur: Nyala, Al Fashir, Zalingi and Al Geneina.
The UN Security Council has adopted several resolutions related to the situation in Darfur. Unfortunately, none of these has been implemented effectively. The victims feel disappointed. They are waiting to hear from you; from the people of Europe. Your leaders have been talking tough about the policies of the Sudanese Government in Darfur. But so far we have not seen any concrete steps to address the situation in a strong and targeted manner.
As a representative of the victims of the conflict, today I have an unprecedented opportunity to speak directly to the leaders of Europe. The people of Darfur need the European Union to show a strong, united position regarding protection of innocent civilians. The people of Darfur ask you to protect them from the violence, killings and abuse they are forced to face on a daily basis. The people of Darfur want you to protect their children and women from acts of rape and sexual violence, which are being used as ‘weapons of war’. This protection can be made possible through the deployment of the UN-AU hybrid force. The involvement of international, and especially European, forces is imperative, even though the Government of Sudan may be unwilling to accept that at the present moment. But Europe has a role to play in putting more pressure on the Government of Sudan to facilitate the deployment of these troops and the protection of the people of Darfur.
Now, in Darfur, and in Sudan, I tell you there will be no peace without justice and without protection.
Peace can also be facilitated by Europe. The European Union has a great responsibility to promote peace internationally. The leaders of Europe have the ability to lead the peace process also in Sudan. I ask you to increase your efforts in bringing the rebel groups and the Government of Sudan to the table of peace negotiations as a matter of urgency.
But the fact is that rebel groups are splitting among themselves, and this does not help the situation in Darfur. I want you to think about taking on board other stakeholders: the millions of victims who are voiceless in the camps and other, directly affected people of Darfur. Take on board also the civil society movement, NGOs and community leaders. That would help the situation in Darfur.
Even if we can provide protection and promote peace in Darfur, justice and accountability must not be compromised by any political deal. Presently, none of the victims can return to their houses or homes, because of the absence or lack of security. Not only are our communities being attacked by militias, but even helicopter gunships of the Government of Sudan are destroying our villages in aerial bombardments. Despite these serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, none of the perpetrators has been brought to justice, because the Sudanese judicial system is incapable, incompetent and unwilling to provide justice. All the perpetrators are beyond the reach of our domestic justice. This conflict is one which is marked by a culture of total impunity.
As a lawyer, and a native of Darfur, I know that there can never be a lasting peace in the region without justice. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has made some important and significant steps in promoting accountability. Yet, the cycle of impunity has not yet been broken. The people of Darfur ask you to support the work of the ICC. The ICC is the most competent international criminal tribunal which can make the many notorious perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity accountable for their actions."@en1
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"Salih Mahmoud Osman,"1
"Sudanese lawyer acting for the victims of the war in Darfur"1
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