228/99 : Law Offices of Ghazi Suleiman / Sudan
Summary of Facts
1. The Complainant is a law firm based in Khartoum, Sudan. The complaint dated 1st January 1999
th
was received in the Secretariat on 29 January 1999.
2. The complaint is submitted on behalf of Mr Ghazi Suleiman, the principal partner in the law firm of
Ghazi Suleiman.
3. The Complainant alleges that Mr Ghazi Suleiman was invited by a group of human rights
rd
defenders to deliver a public lecture on 3 January 1999 in Sinnar, Blue Nile State. He alleges further
that Mr Ghazi Suleiman was prohibited from travelling to Sinnar by some security officials who
threatened that if he made the trip, he would be arrested.
4. It is also alleged that this threat and the implied threat of repercussions for the group prevented
him from embarking on the trip.
Additional information
5. The Complainant claims that the following actions were directed against Mr Ghazi Suleiman in the
period between January 1998 and May 2002 to which this communication pertains:
a. Threats by security officials of the government of Sudan preventing travel to Sinnar on 3 January
1999;
b. An arrest on 7 April 1999;
c. An arrest 8 June 1999;
d. An attack on his office and his person on 17 November 1999;
e. An arrest on 26 March 2000;
f. An arrest on 9 December 2000;
g. An arrest on 9 May 2002.
Complaint
6. The Complainant alleges violations of Articles 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the [African] Charter and that all
these rights have been suspended under the National Security Act 1994, as amended in 1996.
Procedure
th
th
th
7. At its 25 Ordinary Session held from 26 April to 5 May 1999 in Bujumbura, Burundi, the
[African] Commission was seized of the communication.
th
8. On 18 August 1999, the Secretariat of the African Commission notified the parties of this
decision.
th
9. The African Commission considered the communication at its 26 Ordinary Session held from 1st
th
to 15 November in Kigali, Rwanda and requested the Complainant to submit written submissions on
the issue of exhaustion of local remedies. In addition, the parties were requested to furnish the African
Commission with the relevant legislation and court decisions (in either English or French).
10. On 21st January 2000, the Secretariat of the African Commission wrote to the parties informing
them of the decision of the African Commission.
th
th
th
11. At the 27 Ordinary Session held from 27 April to 11 May 2000 in Algiers, Algeria, the parties
made oral submissions and the African Commission decided to consolidate this communication with
all the other communications brought against Sudan. It requested parties to address it further on the
issue of exhaustion of domestic remedies.
th
12. The above decision was communicated to parties on 30 June 2000.
th
rd
th
13. At the 28 Ordinary Session held from 23 October to 6 November 2000 in Cotonou, Benin, the
th
African Commission decided to defer consideration of this communication to the 29 Ordinary Session
and requested the Secretariat to incorporate the oral submissions made by the Respondent State and