Centre for Applied Human Rights
Majid Maali
Sudan, CAHR, Autumn 2010
My presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. I was born in the Darfur region of Sudan where the first genocide of the twenty-first century is happening. By the age 14, I had been a child soldier and participated in one of the longest lasting and deadliest wars of the later twentieth century. It started in 1983 and took place, for the most part, in southern Sudan, Nuba mountains, Abyie and the Blue Nile. The conflict officially ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on 9th January 2005.
In 1994 while I was doing secondary school, we were forced to do military training for two months and after I finished secondary school I had to do national military service to get admission to any university or college. After five months training, we were taken to the oil field "Unity State" where we took direct part in the hostilities. It was a hard experience, a painful and tragic story. I saw my friends and colleagues killed, raped by commanders, and in some cases sentenced to prison or to death for crimes committed while they were soldiers. This experience shaped my entire life, motivating me to study, advocate and work for child soldiers in Sudan. I have published many articles in the Sudanese newspapers and I have carried out research about child soldiers in Sudan.
I was blessed with an opportunity to pursue my education and earned my LL.B in 2003. Since then, I have devoted myself to serving the human rights movement in my country. I started my career as a professional lawyer by providing free legal aid to internally displaced people (IDPs), refugees and asylum seekers. In December 2005 I joined a non-governmental rights-based organization and established as network for human rights monitoring which used to monitor, document and report the human rights situation in Sudan. I also formed and supervised a lawyers’ network that played a major role in the way to access justice by providing free legal aid for IDPs, students, women and vulnerable groups.
Being a "human rights defender" can mean sacrificing career, family and sometimes even life for the fight for human rights and freedom.
Being a "human rights defender" can mean sacrificing career, family and sometimes even life for the fight for human rights and freedom. Since Al-Bashir took power in 1989, the regime has institutionalized Sharia laws in the northern part of Sudan, has banned associations, political parties, freedom of expression, and has imprisoned and tortured leading political figures and journalists. In addition, the Sudanese legal system, which constitutes the safeguard for human rights and fundamental freedoms, has been politicized and manipulated by the regime. Inside this environment, the Sudanese human rights defenders have kept their ongoing struggle to promote and protect human rights. Many have been arrested, detained, tortured or harassed and accused by the government of spying and corruption.
When the Darfur crisis erupted in 2003, the Sudanese human rights defenders and national human rights NGOs stood up to address the human rights situation in the region. They monitored, reported and documented the massive human rights violations that were committed there. Furthermore, human rights NGOs provided legal aid, psychosocial support for rape and torture victims and human rights education in IDP camps. My organization established and ran more than five community centers for the IDPs; these centres enabled the IDPs to reshape their lives after the horrors. They raised human rights awareness among the IDPs and disseminated human rights culture as well.
After the ICC issued the arrest warrant against the president on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) carried out a campaign of arbitrary arrests and detentions against human rights defenders and political opponents. Many human rights defenders were compelled to leave the country for fear of arrest, detention and prosecution. In addition, the government expelled thirteen international NGOs that had been providing humanitarian assistance in Darfur along with three national NGOs, including mine. I had to leave the country with a number of Sudanese human rights defenders for fear of arrest and prosecution.
I am deeply grateful for the privilege of this scheme, which builds capacity and deepens our knowledge and experience to carry out our mission with confidence.