The signing of the constitutional declaration in Khartoum on 17 August 2019 is a great step forward for human rights in the region. I want to congratulate all parties on having included important and far-reaching human rights commitments in this document. With it, there will be many opportunities to redress human rights violations of the past – just as these should be avoided in the future.
I wish the new leadership in Khartoum every success for the transition to a democratic Sudan. Preventing the execution of Abbas Mohammed Nur Musa would send an important first signal. Abbas was sentenced to death for a crime that he committed when he was 15 years old. This judgement has already been criticised by the international community. The German Government rejects the death penalty, regardless of the circumstances. The Sudan has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which prohibit the execution of individuals who were minors at the time of an offence.