The armed conflict constitutes a major challenge to enjoying and protecting human rights, the Minister of Justice Awad Al-Hassan Al-Nour said in his address

Khartoum -The armed conflict constitutes a major challenge to enjoying and protecting human rights, the Minister of Justice Awad Al-Hassan Al-Nour said in his address to the 33rd session of the Human Rights Council held in Geneva 13 to 30 September 2016.
The minister in statements to SUNA, regretted the report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, which he said has stopped short of communicating Sudan notes on the report.
The minister said the report ignored the core mission of the independent expert concerned with providing technical assistance and capacity building, adding that the report blatantly ignored efforts and progress achieved in human rights in the country.
“Such a report does not encourage continuing any cooperation,” Al-Nour said.  However, “Sudan nevertheless has demonstrated full cooperation with Mr.  Aristide Nononsi, the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan,” he added.
The Minister further argued that the coercive measures represent a challenge to human rights activities. “It is disappointing that the report of the Independent Expert did not include the negative impact of these measures, “the minister said, adding that Mr. Nononsi “had the opportunity to see for himself the catastrophic effects of the coercive measures during his visit to the country.”
The Minister of Justice reiterated Sudan’s commitment to enhancing, protecting human rights, maintaining cooperation with the UN Human Rights Council. He pointed to recent amendments to abolish penalties such as execution by stoning regarding offenses like a “adultery”, criminalizing apostasy .and confining the penalty of (FGM) to disfiguring genital organs, in addition to amendment to Article 152 regarding indecent clothes, and drafting a bill prohibiting and criminalizing discrimination, religious hatred and racism.    
The Special Rapporteur and Independent Experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world.