WASHINGTON, DC – May 2, 2013 – As the Obama administration readies the proverbial red carpet for a delegation led by Nafie Ali Nafie, one of the leading architects and implementers of torture and genocide in Sudan, a leading alliance of human rights groups has sent a public letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking him to rescind the Administration’s invitation.
“The Administration’s invitation for high-level talks undermines established U. S. policy and violates President Obama’s promise to bar perpetrators of serious human rights violations from entry into the country,” states the letter, citing a 2011 proclamation by President Obama. “Act for Sudan, a bipartisan, interfaith alliance of 74 American and Sudanese grassroots advocacy groups, requests that you rescind the invitation immediately.” Act for Sudan is collecting statements from Nafie’s victims. (Full text of letter to Kerry and victims’ statements below.)
As a senior advisor to Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan’s president for whom the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, Nafie headed the feared National Intelligence and Security Service. He also helped establish the regime’s strategy to eliminate or expel indigenous African people by bombing, attacking, raping and starving innocent civilians. The ICC named Nafie as among the key senior officials who were complicit in Bashir’s crimes against humanity and war crimes.
In August 2011, President Obama promised in an official proclamation that the United States would not allow entry to any alien who had “planned, ordered, assisted, aided and abetted, committed or otherwise participated in, including through command responsibility, war crimes, crimes against humanity or other serious violations of human rights, or who attempted or conspired to do so.” The proclamation further declared that, “The Secretary of State, or the Secretary’s designee, in his or her sole discretion, shall identify persons covered by … this proclamation.”
Statements from Nafie’s Victims:
My name is Abdalmageed Salih Abker Haroun and I am a victim of torture by Nafie Ali Nafie from 2009 to 2010. I was arrested in Khartoum and taken to the National Intelligence and Security Service building where I was tortured. I asked why I was being tortured, and security agents told me that my file was sent to Nafie and he would decide if I would be detained or released. There was an international campaign launched for my release, which included a letter from the late Congressman Donald Payne. Nafie said he did not care what the international community said. He said there was no evidence against me, but he felt like I was suspicious and so he ordered me to stay for more than four and half months. I was tortured every day. I do not welcome Nafie to the United States and the U.S. should not do any deals with the Sudan government except to increase sanctions and pressure until the government is removed. (April 30, 2013)
My name is Hawa Salih and I am one survivor of the Darfur genocide. My village was destroyed completely, and one hundred family members were killed systemically, ethnically as Fur tribe people. 50 ladies were raped as a weapon of war from my village; ten of them were ladies from my family. For nine years I was forced to live in a refugee camp. I was arrested three times, kidnapped twice, tortured with electric shock, treated without dignity in detention, and sentenced to death. I was forced to flee Sudan because of my activism as a human rights activist in rejecting the serious crimes that were happening to my people. I was the voice of the women and youth in the IDP camps and universities as well as among students and activists. This was carried out since 2003 until May 2011 by the NCP, Nafie as one of them, and the Janjaweed militia. In addition, Nafie led the very high level of torture, which was witnessed by millions of Sudanese and Southern Sudanese, and it is still ongoing. The United States should not deal with the Sudan government until it immediately allows humanitarian aid into war affected areas; stops bombing Darfur, the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile; allows the UN and the US to protect civilians and to investigate human rights crimes; and sends criminals to the ICC. (April 30, 2013)
CONTACT:
Susan Morgan, 617 797 0451, susan@paxcommunications.org
Elizabeth Blackney, 541 390 1913, eliz@medializzy.com
Download full Press Release Here.
FULL TEXT OF LETTER
Download PDF of letter here.

May 2, 2013
Honorable John F. Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Kerry,
The recent invitation to a senior delegation of the National Congress Party (NCP), headed by Nafie Ali Nafie, principal advisor to Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, undermines established U. S. policy and violates President Obama’s promise to bar perpetrators of serious human rights violations from entry to this country.
Act for Sudan, a bipartisan, interfaith alliance of 74 American and Sudanese grassroots advocacy groups, requests that you rescind the invitation immediately.
As a senior advisor to Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan’s president for whom the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, Nafie headed the feared National Intelligence and Security Service. He also helped establish the regime’s strategy to eliminate or expel indigenous African people by bombing, attacking, raping and starving innocent civilians. The ICC named Nafie as among the key senior officials who were complicit in Bashir’s crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Victims of Nafie, who are now outside of Sudan and who were imprisoned and horribly tortured in “ghost houses” he established, speak of Nafie being present during their torture. Others note, “His hands are bloody with crimes committed during the ethnic cleansing of Darfur, South Sudan and South Kordofan.”
In August 2011, President Obama promised in an official proclamation that the United States would not allow entry to any alien who had “planned, ordered, assisted, aided and abetted, committed or otherwise participated in, including through command responsibility, war crimes, crimes against humanity or other serious violations of human rights, or who attempted or conspired to do so.” The proclamation further declared that, “The Secretary of State, or the Secretary’s designee, in his or her sole discretion, shall identify persons covered by … this proclamation.”
The invitation extended by the Obama Administration is a clear violation of the President’s promise and an affront to the victims and vulnerable people in Sudan.
Sincerely,
Eric Cohen
Co-Founder, Act for Sudan
Subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.