mutilation and reforming laws on corporal RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND punishment. REPARATION However, ongoing power struggles between The government took some positive steps the military and civilian wings of government, towards enabling justice and accountability including over economic and security sector for human rights violations, by ratifying the reforms, erupted and on 25 October 2021 UN Convention against Torture and the the army seized power, dissolving the civilian International Convention against Enforced government and imposing a nationwide state Disappearance on 10 August. of emergency. However, perpetrators of human rights On 21 November, the army signed an violations continued to enjoy impunity. Over agreement that reinstated the ousted prime one decade since the ICC issued arrest minister but the deal failed to defuse the warrants against Omar al-Bashir, Ahmad crisis. Despite UN-mediated efforts to end Harun and Abdel Raheem Muhammad the crisis, public resentment against the Hussein, the transitional government military’s actions grew. continued to fail in its obligation to transfer Key economic reforms resulted in Sudan the suspects to the Hague court to answer securing US$20.5 billion in debt relief from charges of crimes against humanity, international financial institutions. Many genocide and war crimes in Darfur. international organizations suspended The National Investigation Committee, economic assistance programmes following appointed in October 2019 to investigate a the coup, putting recent developments at brutal attack in which the RSF, the National risk. Intelligence and Security Service and the EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE police killed over 100 protesters and subjected others to sexual violence and other Security forces continued to use excessive, torture and ill-treatment in Khartoum in June and sometimes lethal, force against 2019, was yet to release its findings. No one protesters. On 11 May, they shot dead at was held accountable by the end of the year. least two protesters and injured dozens at a The modest progress made to improve demonstration in the capital, Khartoum. The human rights protection during a period of demonstration was held to demand justice in almost three years since Omar al-Bashir’s connection with an attack by security forces deposal suffered a major setback after the on peaceful demonstrators in June 2019 October military coup. Despite the prime when over 100 people were killed and minister’s pledge in November that the 1 hundreds injured (see below, Right to truth, killings of those protesting the takeover would justice and reparation). be investigated, there was no evidence of any Violence by security forces spiked after the progress in the matter. military takeover in October and hundreds of ARBITRARY DETENTION thousands of people took to the streets in frequent protests. All branches of the security On 10 July, Muammar Musa Mohammed establishment, including the army, police and Elgarari and Mikhail Boutros Ismail Kody the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), participated (opposition activists and members of the in the violent repression and dispersal of the Future Movement Group) were released on protests.2 At least 53 people were killed and bail after being held in prolonged arbitrary hundreds injured in demonstrations. Security detention without charge since June 2020. forces reportedly subjected women to They were held at a police station in gender-based violence to counter their Khartoum North, for harassing members of growing participation in protests, including the Committee for Removal of Empowerment two reported rapes in December. which was established to dissolve the former ruling National Congress Party and to confiscate its property. Amnesty International Report 2021/22 348