The deadly crackdown by Sudanese security forces against pro-democracy demonstrators last June may have amounted to a crime against humanity, a leading human rights group said Monday.
In a 59-page report, Human Rights Watch urged Sudan’s new transitional government to carry out “independent and transparent” investigation into the events.
The New York-based group said Sudanese military rulers at the time had planned a violent dispersal of a sit-in in the capital, Khartoum, in advance. The sit-in was the cornerstone in the uprising that had led to the military’s overthrow of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April following nationwide protests against his nearly 30-year rule.
FILE - In this June 4, 2019 file frame grab from video provided by Sudan TV, Lieutenant General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, then head of the Sudanese Transitional Military Council, makes a broadcast announcement in Khartoum, Sudan. Human Rights Watch, HRW, a leading human rights group, says the deadly crackdown in Sudan against pro-democracy protesters in June may have amounted to a crime against humanity. In a 59-page report released Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, HRW said Sudan’s military rulers at the time planned the violent dispersal of a major sit-in in the capital, Khartoum. (Sudan TV via AP, File)
The protest movement says at least 128 people were killed in the crackdown. The death toll provided by authorities at the time was 87, including 17 at the sit-in.
The violence triggered a breakdown in talks between the protesters and the generals who took over power after removing al-Bashir.
Sudanese security forces raped, stabbed, and beat protesters, Human Rights Watch said, adding that they also humiliated many demonstrators by cutting off their hair, forced protesters to crawl in sewage and urinated on them.
In July, an investigation by Sudanese prosecutors said some members of the security forces had exceeded orders and accused eight officers, including a major general, of crimes against humanity.
But that investigation angered the protest movement, which called for an international probe, something the military rejected.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, appointed in August, has set up an independent committee to probe the violence but HRW says victims’ groups have raised concerns about its lack of independence, with members including officials from the defense and interior ministries who oversee security forces.
Jehanne Henry, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch, says Sudanese leaders should establish a committee that meets “international standards of fairness and independence.”
“To this end, they should urgently request expertise from Sudanese, regional, and international bodies, including from experts in investigating sexual violence and serious crimes,” she added.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The body of a Mississippi man who was found dead after vanishing under mysterious circumstances will not be released to family members until law enforcement agencies finish investigating the case, a state judge said Tuesday.
At a hearing in Jackson, Mississippi, Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas did not make an official ruling from the bench. He instead told attorneys the body of Dau Mabil would be preserved at the state crime lab while investigators try to shed light on what happened to the man. Mabil, who lived in Jackson with his wife, Karissa Bowley, went missing in broad daylight on March 25 after going for a walk.
Mabil escaped a bloody civil war in Sudan as a child and built a new life in America. His disappearance prompted an outcry from civil rights organizations and is alleged to have sparked discord between local law enforcement agencies. Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, whose district includes Jackson, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting a Justice Department investigation.
Tuesday's hearing had been set to settle a legal dispute between Bowley and Dau Mabil's brother, Bul Mabil, regarding the standards for a future independent autopsy. But Thomas also allowed attorneys to ask questions about Bowley's marriage to Dau Mabil.
Bowley took the witness stand and was peppered with questions by Bul Mabil's attorney, Lisa Ross. In a tense exchange, Ross asked Bowley to read text messages detailing arguments between the couple over several issues, including Dau Mabil’s alcohol consumption and Bowley’s penchant for “feminist podcasts.”
Bowley's attorney, Paloma Wu, said the hearing had become a “forum for freewheeling defamation” of Bowley, but Thomas overruled her objections.
Police have never said Bowley is a suspect in Dau Mabil's disappearance. The legal conflict between her and Bul Mabil began after fishermen spotted a body April 13 in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Jackson. Days later, officials confirmed the remains were those of Dau Mabil.
A sheriff said an initial state autopsy did not uncover signs of foul play, but Bul Mabil has disputed those findings. Bul Mabil filed an emergency request that an independent medical examiner examine Dau Mabil’s body before releasing the remains to Bowley and her family.
In a subsequent filing, Bowley’s attorney said her client did not oppose additional autopsy by a qualified examiner. But she asked the court to ensure the second autopsy takes place only after law enforcement finishes investigating to preserve the integrity of the evidence on her late husband’s body.
On Tuesday, Thomas said he agreed that police should finish their investigation before releasing Dau Mabil's body and that a second, independent autopsy would likely be permitted.
“I do not draw conclusions about anybody or what’s happened to this man other than that it’s unfortunate. I hope ... there was nothing nefarious done to him,” Thomas said. “But I want to find out. And I want the state to find out. I think they’re going to do that.”
Medical examiners do not typically store a body for the entirety of a police investigation, however long it takes. But, authorities would make an exception due to the “extraordinary nature of this case,” said Eric Brown, an attorney for the state medical examiner's office.
Thomas said he would issue a formal order later in the week to deal with the specific requests made by Bul Mabil and Bowley over setting the rules for a future autopsy conducted by an independent medical examiner.
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Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him at @mikergoldberg.
Karissa Bowley, widow of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, is hugged by her father James E. Bowley, following a hearing on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, attorney for Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, left, gives Paloma Wu, attorney for Karissa Bowley, wife of the deceased, a set of her client's texts during a hearing on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, left, attorney for Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, questions Karissa Bowley, wife of the deceased, during a hearing, on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas, right, cautions Karissa Bowley, wife of the late Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, to not interrupt attorneys' questioning during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A tearful Karissa Bowley, widow of the late Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, is comforted by family members following a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, stares at his brother's widow, Karissa Bowley, during a recess at a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, right, attorney for Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, confer during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, waits for questioning to resume during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Karissa Bowley, wife of the late Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, waits for questioning to resume during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, right, attorney for Bul Mabil, seated center, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, listens to his question, while Karissa Bowley, wife of the deceased, awaits a renewed spate of questions during a hearing, on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
