Prestigious Sakharov Prize 2007 Awarded to Salih Mahmoud Osman

Refugee Rights News
Volume 4, Issue 2
April 2008

On January 26, people from as far away as Khartoum and beyond gathered in the town of Wad Madani, south of Khartoum, for a celebration of the work of Salih Mahmoud Osman, Sudanese human rights lawyer, member of the National Assembly, and local resident. During the day, Salih’s tireless advocacy efforts on behalf of the Darfuri people were honored by dignitaries, religious leaders, human rights activists and the general public. 

The Sultan of Darfur, Governor of West Darfur, Minister of South Darfur, Members of Cabinet, leaders of the Darfur community of Al-Gezira state, and religious leaders gathered for a fatur, or breakfast, at Salih’s home. Organizers of the event spoke about the two decades of his courageous defense of those who have been arbitrarily detained and tortured by the Sudanese government, despite great personal risk. A Minister attended on behalf of the Wali of Gezira State and delivered a powerful speech, saying that Salih deserved this type of celebration because he had been targeted by the State.

Under tight security, traditional Fur dancers then accompanied the parade to the arena where representatives of European, United States and Canadian missions in Khartoum, lawyers, student associations of El-Gezira state, the local community and people who had traveled from as far as Khartoum had been waiting for the celebrations to begin. More speeches were delivered and a band from Khartoum performed until the crowd dispersed around midnight.

Two months earlier, on December 11, Salih had accepted the award of the European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought at the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg. The impressive ceremony took place in the Parliament’s Chamber with its 700+ seats where Salih was presented with the award by the Parliament’s President Hans-Gert Pöttering. He addressed the audience and said that he accepted the award as recognition not just of his work but of the work of thousands of human rights defenders all over Sudan and in Darfur in particular. He took the opportunity to remind the Europeans of their moral and ethical responsibility to show solidarity with the people of Darfur, and to urge their governments to give more financial support for peacekeeping purposes and send troops in addition to humanitarian relief.

Salih also took the opportunity to remind listeners that he was not only accepting the award for himself, but on behalf of the entire community of Darfur activists. This type of international recognition is an important source of support not only for the activists that receive them, but also for other civil society actors who are operating under difficult conditions—subject to insecurity and both surveillance and harassment at the hands of the government. Awards such as the Sakharov prize which was received by Salih, and recognitions that his colleagues have received, such as the Robert F. Kennedy Prize received by Dr. Mohammed Ahmed and the Olof Palme Prize are an important show of solidarity and support.

In a recent conversation with IRRI, Salih outlined his continued commitment to issues of accountability for atrocities committed in Darfur, advocacy for full and effective deployment of UNAMID troops capable of bringing civilian protection, assisting in the rehabilitation of communities affected by the ongoing conflict and reconciliation between affected communities. Following his trips to Paris, where he participated in the launch of the Darfur-Darfur exhibit, and Dublin, where he was invited by members of the European Parliament, he is planning to visit IDP camps in the Nyala and Al-Fasher area of Darfur to determine the need for a rehabilitation program that would focus on schooling and medical services to residents. “The Sakharov prize has increased my responsibility…I am determined to continue with this support. It is not me alone, there are so many people that are working with me like the Darfur Consortium and all the NGOs who supported my efforts.”

As part of the award Salih was presented with a check for €50,000 which he hopes to use to help victims of the conflict in Darfur.

The European Parliament’s top human rights award is named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov as a means to honor those who had dedicated their lives to the defense of human rights and freedoms. The first award went to Nelson Mandela and Soviet dissident Anatoly Marchenko (posthumously) in 1988.