WUNRN
Women Living Under Muslim Laws - WLUML
Women
Living Under Muslim Laws International Solidarity Network strongly condemns the
revocation of the registration licence of its partner in Sudan, the Salmmah
Resource Centre without prior notice and due process.
On 24
June 2014, a decree signed and stamped by the Sudanese Ministry revoking its
registration license as a non-profit company, its immediate liquidation, and
the appointment of a five-person committee to oversee the Company’s dissolution
process was presented to the director of the Salmmah Women's Resource Centre,
Ms. Fahima Hashim. All properties found in possession of the Salmmah Women’s
Resource Centre including personal belongings of its staff were taken.
The decree failed to mention any reason behind this decision. Salmmah
Women’s Resource Centre is registered as a non-profit Company, in accordance
with the Sudanese Companies Act of 1925 which gives the Minister of Justice the
sole power to close down any company deemed harmful to the interests of the
country.
We
condemn the disregard of due legal process and procedures that accompanied this
action by the authorities against the Salmmah Women’s Resource Centre.
This represents a clear violation of the right of civil society to exercise
their constitutional right to freedom of association, and their right to
establish associations and of Article 27-4 of the Interim Constitution of 2005,
which prohibits any infringement of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the
Bill of Rights.
We are
concerned that this action by the Sudanese authorities against the Salmmah
Women’s Resource Centre will signal a new chapter of political repression
against civil society in Sudan characterised by harassing and obstructing the
work of independent organisations that promote human rights and democratic
values.
The
Salmmah Women’s Resource Centre was founded in 1997 as an independent feminist resource
centre with expertise in the areas of gender equality and women’s rights. Its
main focus is mobilizing and empowering women and women’s groups in order to
influence policy and overcome structural, political and legal obstacles to the
advancement of women’s rights. The centre also has a leading role in the
research, documentation and dissemination of knowledge on women’s rights and
human rights in Sudan. WLUML and the Salmmah Women’s Resource Centre
enjoy a long-standing partnership working collaboratively on
various projects which include the advocacy to reform rape laws, and the
Sudan’s Revised Penal Code which is being used as the basis to justify the
sentencing of women to cruel forms of punishments such as stoning; the campaign
to stop the practice of child marriage, and in challenging Sudan’s restrictive
dress code.
We
express our solidarity with our sisters and brothers at the Salmmah Women’s
Resource Center and will continue to support their work and their
struggle for their legitimate right to exist as one of the highly respected
voices in Sudan’s fragile civil society.
We urge
the Government of Sudan to restore the legitimate status of Salmmah Women’s
Resource Centre as a registered non-profit company and to return all
confiscated equipment and property so they could resume their invaluable work.
We urge
the international community particularly the UN Special Rapporteur on the
Situation of Human Rights Defenders to immediately intervene and act
on behalf of the Salmmah Women’s Resource Centre and to seek commitment from
the government of Sudan to guarantee that there will be no reprisals against
the Salmmah Women’s Resource Centre and its local supporters.
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