Sudanese Human Rights Activist Killed in London

March 28, 2010 (London) – The capital of dense fog that shrouds its buildings, streets and alleyways; a place in which diverse dialects, colors, businessmen, tourists, political asylum seekers, intelligence agency men and hangers-on converge.

It is true that the British capital is certainly known for its obscure crimes. Many Arab and international head figures died in mysterious circumstances, most prominent of whom in recent years was the Egyptian film star Souad Hosni. That obscure foggy climate, through which people from all styles of life, with numerous motives and aims meet, has provided a conducive environment for several shocking and mysterious human liquidation tragedies. While such crimes were imbued with professional intelligence work

Human rights activist - Mr Abdul Salam Hasan

BBC News Article on Mr Hassan's death

This type of bloody demise was the story of the recent murder of prominent Sudanese human rights activist Abdul Salam Hasan. He was killed in his flat in Lewisham, south-east London, with multiple stabs to his body.

Abdul Salam's biography does not provide much evidence as to why he should be the victim of such a heinous crime. He grew up in the town of Wadi Halfa, North Sudan and was later admitted in the 70s to the Faculty of Law in Cairo, Khartoum Branch. He graduated and joined the legal profession. His name was first linked to the Baathist party and later to the Communist party in Sudan. Following the 1989 coup, he moved to the U.K. and detached himself from political activities, focusing on his legal work. He was appointed Secretary General of Sudan’s Human Rights Organisation, which was active in the 1990’s. Afterwards, he worked for several organisations, most important of which was Human Rights Watch and the African Human Rights Organisation known as “Justice Africa”, working with Alex De Wall, an expert in Sudanese affairs, Johannes Akol, the MP during the third democracy, and brother of D. Lam Akol, Head of the Popular Movement for Democratic Change.

During his final few years, Abdul Salam worked as an advisor for REDRESS, a human rights organisation trying to reform Sudanese laws as well as monitoring torture and human rights abuses. The organisation held a conference in Kampala, Uganda, earlier this month in which Abdul Salam took part and traveled back to London, where he was murdered three days later.

Insiders close to the late lawyer have been circulating information saying that he lately received a threatening letter.

Faisal Mohammad Saleh - Journalist and friend of Abdul Salam Hassan

Mr. Faisal Mohammad Saleh a journalist and a close friend of Abdul Salam, who also participated in the Kampala meeting two weeks ago, said his friend found the lock of his flat destroyed on Thursday, March 11. He phoned his separated Sudanese wife, with whom he maintained a good relationship, to tell her about the incident. She advised him to report the incident to the police. He did so but the police kept him waiting for about two hours in front of his flat in vain. He then entered the flat and spent his last night there, leaving on Friday for work and meeting some friends. He returned to the flat to be found stabbed to death on his bed.

Abdul Salam was a writer of short stories. He memorized poetry and spent long hours in reading and authorship. He had many studies and research papers, last of which is a study he prepared for the Kampala workshop on criminal law in the Sudan since the Funj Sultanate. The theme of the workshop consisted of a discussion on criminal law. Dr. Amin Makki Madani , a famous lawyer, who joined Abdul Salam in his efforts to re-launch the Sudan Human Rights Organization and co-worked with him at the Kampala workshop, said Abdul Salam looked good-humored during the workshop, cracking jokes and making smart comments.

Abdul Salam had no personal enemies. Although he loved discussions and dialogue, many of his close friends agreed that he was very friendly and good at absorbing anger and tension. Dr. Amin, however, does not rule out the possibility of Abdul Salam having intellectual foes, but he, nonetheless, believes those intellectual differences could not have led to his tragic death. He quotes a Sudanese lady, residing in London, whom he phoned during condolence of Abdul Salam’s separated wife and mother of his only daughter, Ezzah, to have said that she, along with a number of Sudanese citizens residing in London, received threatening letters in Arabic originating in Manchester. The letters described them as friends of the Americans and supporters of its policies in Iraq and Afghanistan and held them accountable for such acts. He also stated it was possible that Abdul Salam could have fallen victim of one of the crimes prevalent in the public London suburbs, adding it would be advisable to wait for the outcome of the investigations that are being carried out by the British police force.

The British Guardian newspaper reported that Scotland Yard said the case was open, requesting anybody with further information.

Persons close to Abdul Salam present three main scenarios vis-à-vis the motives of the crime. The first scenario is directly linked with the activities and political dimensions of the killed advocate. This scenario is possibly supported by the circulated threatening letter he received prior to his death, but not by the unprofessional manner in which the murder was carried out. Besides, the repeated visits to Sudan made by the late Abdul Salam in recent years, would have allowed any political motive to be carried out in Sudan. Why hunt him down in London?

The most probable scenario according to some close friends of his was that it was an extraordinary random criminal act. This scenario is supported by the fact that his door was destroyed by his attackers. Also he was known to live in a particularly rough crime ridden part of London .  Also since the murder two people have been arrested, though no charges have yet been made.

The third scenario is based on the escalating racial conflicts across the aging European continent. This scenario offers an assumption that Abdul Salam, the peaceful legal activist, might have been the victim of a racist attack by fascist British thugs, especially when the 56-year-old Abdul Salam had grown in weight in recent years, due to a hormone malfunction, which caused a leg fracture. According to Faisal Mohammad Saleh, he was on a liposuction operation waiting list, which made him an easier target for young racist extremists.

Scotland Yard said Abdul Salam’s body might be held for weeks, pending completion of the investigation procedures. The Guardian Newspaper spoke of the detention of a 28-year-old suspect. Given the excellent professional record of the British police and the recently installed monitoring cameras and security equipment, used recently in different parts of London in the wake of the escalating terrorist attacks, it is hoped that the killers will be soon identified. Regardless of the anticipated results of Scotland Yard investigations, the murder of Abdul Salam, who was preparing to return to Sudan after the liposuction procedure, created a sad feeling amongst many people across the world. It also raised many questions about the motives of the person that stabbed that great legal activist.

He spent most of his life preventing legal infringements and minimising the victims of human rights violations. Those mysterious stab wounds have tragically added him to the same list of victims he worked very hard to protect.

London Police Investigation Office can be contacted at +44 208 721 4805

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