(2004/C 33 E/020)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3406/02

by Marco Cappato (NI) and Benedetto Della Vedova (NI) to the Commission

(29 November 2002)

Subject:   Case of the Sudanese citizen Dimiana Murad Nashid

On 4 November 2002, the Sudanese daily newspaper Al-Watan' reported that a Coptic Christian student had been abducted in the north of Sudan and forced against her will to convert to Islam and to enter into a forced marriage.

Dimiana Murad Nashid, who was in her first year of studies at Al-Neelain University in Omdurman, disappeared at the end of October. Dimiana's friends and colleagues informed her family that a Muslim man called Ehab had abducted her from the university.

Dimiana's father, who presented the case to Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom said that he had been summoned by the court in Kalakla (a small town near Khartoum) to attend his daughter's wedding. Also present in court were a religious leader who presented a marriage certificate and claimed to be the father of the bridegroom, and a lawyer, who submitted a document signed by Dimiana stating that she had converted to Islam and wanted to marry Ehab.

After meeting with his daughter in the presence of her abductors, Dimiana's father said that she appeared to be drugged and that her eyes and lips were swollen. He also said that he was told that if he wanted his daughter back he would have to convert to Islam.

Has the Commission formally asked the Sudanese Ambassador to clarify this situation? If not, why not? If so, what answers was it given? What will the Commission do to prompt the Sudanese Government to put an end to the constant threats to the freedom of non-Muslim men and women in that country?

What action will the Commission take to prevent the widespread violations of the 1927 International Convention against Slavery, which the Khartoum regime sanctions and itself commits, and what kinds of political and diplomatic pressure does it intend to exert in order to put an end to these violations of international law?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(8 January 2003)

The Commission is not aware of the events reported by the Honourable Members based on the information from the Sudanese newspaper ‘Al-Watan’. The Commission will request a report from its Delegation in Sudan and communicate directly with the Honourable Members.

The Union has consistently underlined its opposition to contemporary slavery, including at the 58th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (CHR). The Union also expressed its concern at incidences of forced labour in the resolution on Sudan, which it introduced at the last CHR.

The Commission is aware of slavery occurring in some Sudanese states. Where possible, it tries to discuss the issue with the authorities. However, it also acts through support to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society. Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement is the basis for the on-going political dialogue with Sudan, where such topics can be raised by the Community. This issue will be assessed during the next Troika visit to the Sudan.

The Commission has followed with great interest the work of the International Eminent Persons Group (IEPG) in the framework of the mission of the United States Presidential Envoy for Peace in the Sudan, Senator J. Danforth. They were requested to investigate the situation on Slavery, Abduction and Forced Servitude in the Sudan. The Commission considers the report as a very useful tool for a better understanding of these sensitive matters. Furthermore, as suggested by the IEPG, deeper research and analysis is needed.

Finally, funding is being considered for projects tackling the issue of trafficking, child labour and slavery.