ion of the News from AEFJN is now online. It contains news on UN Climate Summit in Durban (big business control the negotiations, REDD+ market mechanism is criticised), on protection of biodiversity and report on land rush, on Small Arms Flows and Communities in Kenya, on the Ethno-Religious Conflict in Nigeria, on Benin’s Universal Health Insurance Plan, efavirenz and AZT regimens for HIV treatment, on Africa lying naked to Euro-American Military Offensive and on Malawi urban poor hit by slew of price increases.
The national election campaign officially started the 28th October in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), exactly one month ahead of historic presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for November 28 2011. 41 humanitarian and human rights organizations, among them AEFJN, have expressed concern about the high political tension and deteriorating security situation. They have called upon all Congolese and international actors involved to take urgent measures to prevent electoral violence, better protect civilians and ensure credible, free and fair elections.
A simple booklet for workers in health centers in Africa, with guidelines on how to ensure the quality of purchased drugs. How can we assure the quality of the medicines we are buying? What do we need to know? What precautions should we take?
To encourage the commitment of AEFJN members in Africa, towards the fight against the proliferation of small arms in the continent, AEFJN has published a booklet with the organizations working for greater control of arms in Africa. 
Action on SUDAN - 105 PEOPLE FACING DEATH SENTENCES
04.02.2010 14:02 by Begoña Iñarra (comments: 1)
WRITE calling on the authorities to prevent that death sentences are carried out
21 January 2010
Two men, Abdullah Ali Adam and Al-Murdi Bakheet, were sentenced to death on 19 January 2010 by special counter-terrorism courts that were established following the attack on Khartoum in May 2008.
A total of 106 death sentences have been passed by these special courts since July 2008. All those convicted, all male, are held in Kober prison in Khartoum. One man who had been among those sentenced died of tuberculosis in prison in 2009. All those previously convicted have lodged an appeal against their death sentences. Abdullah Ali Adam and Al-Murdi Bakheet now have a week to lodge their appeals.
All those sentenced to death were found guilty of crimes such as membership in a terrorist organisation (allegedly the JEM) and waging war against the state. The 106 men's trials were unfair; while most were tortured and otherwise ill-treated, many had their confessions extracted under torture and many of the accused did not have access to a lawyer until their trial began.
PLEASE WRITE, using your own words, in English, Arabic or your own language
- calling on the authorities to ensure that no death sentences are carried out on the 105 men who have been convicted by counter-terrorism courts for their involvement in the May 2008, attack on Khartoum by the Justice and Equality Movement;
- expressing concern that their convictions resulted from unfair trials and in many cases were based on confessions extracted under torture;
- calling for all them to be given a fair retrial in accordance with international standards of fair trial and without recourse to the death penalty;
- calling on the authorities to investigate the allegations that these men were tortured, and ensure that those responsible are prosecuted in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.
DIRECT YOUR MESSAGES TO:
Abdel Baset Saleh Sabderat
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
PO Box 302
Khartoum, Sudan
Fax: 011 249 183 77 0883
Ibrahim Mohamed Hamed
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
PO Box 2793
Khartoum, Sudan
Fax: 011 249 183 776 554 (Please mark it "FAO Minister of Internal Affairs") Salutation: Dear Minister
Salutation: Dear Minister
AND send COPIES TO:
Mr Asim Mohamed Ali Mukhtar Ibrahim
Chargé d'Affaires, Embassy of Sudan
354 Stewart Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6K8
Fax: (613) 235-6880
E-mail: sudanembassy-canada@rogers.com
Dr Priscilla Joseph
Chair of the Human Rights Committee
National Assembly
Omdurman
Sudan
Fax: 011 249 187 560 950
Salutation: Dear Dr Joseph
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Counter-Terrorism Special Courts were established on 29 May 2008 to try those accused of taking part in the attack on Khartoum.
The JEM's May 2008 attack on Khartoum was stopped by Sudanese forces in a matter of hours. More than 200 people were reportedly killed in the clashes. Over the weeks that followed the attack, the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) arbitrarily arrested close to one thousand civilians mainly from the Darfur that were living in Khartoum, mainly on the basis of their origin and ethnic group. In the three months following the attack, Amnesty International received reports of extrajudicial executions, hundreds of arbitrary arrests and incommunicado detentions, and widespread torture and other ill-treatment in NISS detention centres. Around 200 persons are still unaccounted for today, their whereabouts and condition unknown.
Urgent Action Office
Amnesty International Canada
1992 Yonge St, 3rd floor Toronto, Ontario M4S 1Z7
Tel. (416) 363 9933 ext. 325 / Fax (416) 363 3103
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Comment by Kuusoru Methodius | 25.05.2010
Dear Ministry,
I am an African resident in The netherlands. I have read about the 105 people who have been accused of the May 2008 attack on Khartoum. I write to protest the death penalty imposed on these 105 men for their alleged crimes of terrorist actions. From the information available they have not been given a fair trial and what is more they have been subjected to torture in order to make false confessions. I call on you in the name of Almighty God the creator of us all to give these people a fair re-trial and in accordance with international standards. And please do not convict them to the death penalty even if they are found guilty through a fair trial. Thank you for listening to my plea.
Methodius Kuusoru