220/98 : Law Offices of Ghazi Suleiman / Sudan
Summary of Facts
1. [The] Complainant is a Human Rights Law office in Sudan and is submitting the communication on
behalf of all university students and teachers in Sudan.
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2. The complaint was sent by post and received at the Secretariat on 14 October 1998.
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3. [The] Complainant alleges that on 26 September the Minister of Education in Sudan announced
that all the universities in Sudan would be closed for one month.
4. It is alleged that the closure of universities is in order to assist the military mobilisation for the civil
war in Southern Sudan.
5. The Complainant has included with the complaint, a sworn affidavit by a university lecturer in the
Khartoum University to attest to these allegations.
6. [The] Complainant notifies the [African] Commission that though an administrative appeal has
been filed against the decision of the Minister of Education, he does not believe this will yield any
realistic success.
7. The Complainant urges the [African] Commission to adopt provisional measures under Rule 111 of
its Rules of Procedurewhich will request the government of Sudan to re-open the universities
immediately and prevent further interference with university teaching.
Complaint
8. The Complainant alleges a violation of Articles 6, 7(c) and 17(1) of the African Charter.
Procedure
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9. At the 24 Ordinary Session held in Banjul, The Gambia from 22 to 31st October 1998, the
[African] Commission decided to be seized of the communication.
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10. On 26 November 1990, the Secretariat informed the two parties of the [African] Commission’s
decision.
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11. On 3 May 1999, during the 25 Ordinary Session of the [African] Commission in Bujumbura,
Burundi, a representative of the government of Sudan submitted a written response to the [African]
Commission concerning the communication.
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12. At its 25 Ordinary Session held in Bujumbura, Burundi, the [African] Commission postponed
consideration of the communication to the next session.
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13. On 13 May 1999, the Secretariat of the [African] Commission wrote letters to all the parties
notifying them of this decision.
14. On 21st September 1999, the Complainant notified the Secretariat of the [African] Commission of
a new address for all correspondences relating to the communication.
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15. During the 26 Ordinary Session, the [African] Commission received a written response, together
with a three paged document in Arabic, from Dr Ahmed El Mufti, Rapporteur of the Advisory Council
for Human Rights, Ministry of Justice, Sudan concerning the communication. The attached document
is said to be the decision of the Constitutional Division of the High Court.
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16. The [African] Commission considered the communication at its 26 Ordinary Session held in
Kigali, Rwanda and requested the Complainant to submit written observations on the outcome of the
administrative appeal filed against the decision of the Minister of Education, and generally, on the
administrative appeal processes in the Republic of Sudan.
17. On 21st January 2000, the Secretariat of the [African] Commission wrote to the parties informing
them of the decision of the [African] Commission. It specifically requested the government of Sudan to
furnish it with the translation of the decision of the Constitutional Division of the High Court in English
or French.