The decision issued by the so-called “Lawyers Admission Committee”, No. 32/2025, dated 18 December 2025, is not merely a defective administrative measure or a remediable professional overreach. Rather, it constitutes a legally null act, issued by an entity devoid of legitimacy, laden with an overt political purpose, and aimed at the very core of the legal profession as one of the last lines of defense for rights and freedoms in Sudan.
The revocation of the licenses of thirty-one lawyers on the basis of alleged political positions or peaceful human rights activity not only violates professional standards and ethics, but strikes at the very foundation upon which justice itself rests. The legal profession is neither granted as a political privilege nor withdrawn as a sanction for opinion; it is regulated as a public function dedicated to the protection of rights and may not be subordinated to loyalty tests or political alignment.
As to the Origin: Structural Absence of Legitimacy
The body that issued this decision lacks any sound legal existence. The Sudanese Bar Association (affiliated with the former regime) was dissolved pursuant to the Law on the Dismantling of the Salvation Regime, enacted by the transitional authorities in November 2019. That law expressly provided for the dissolution of all trade unions and professional associations that had served as organizational fronts for the former regime, and vested the Registrar General with the authority to cancel their registration.
This course was affirmed by the highest judicial authority in the country, when the National Supreme Court dismissed the appeal lodged against the dissolution decision, rendering the judgment final and conclusive, and closing the matter legally without any possibility of revival or circumvention.
Accordingly, any activities or decisions issued by this “dissolved bar association” are legally void and devoid of effect. The re-creation of a dissolved professional entity and the conferral upon it of disciplinary authority over lawyers constitutes a flagrant breach of the principle of legality, a direct violation of the independence of legal professions, and renders all acts emanating therefrom null and without legal standing.
As to the Purpose: Abuse of Power
This decision represents a clear and explicit example of abuse of power, whereby an alleged disciplinary mandate has been instrumentalized to pursue purely political ends. This constitutes a grave violation of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, in particular Principles 16 and 23, which prohibit any form of harassment or punishment on account of opinions, peaceful activities, or the performance of professional duties in defense of clients.
The decision also stands in direct contradiction with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, particularly the provisions relating to freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial. Genuine justice cannot be conceived in an environment marked by systematic intimidation and the deliberate suffocation of the legal defense profession.
This decision is issued within a well-documented context of targeting lawyers in Sudan, including arbitrary detention, torture, malicious prosecutions, and politically motivated trials. Such practices have affected lawyers solely because of their professional commitment, among them Ms. Izdihar Juma, who was subjected to abduction and torture, and Mr. Montasir Abdallah, who was prosecuted under aggravated criminal provisions due to his work within civilian defense teams.
This context cannot be separated from the political history of the former Bar Association, closely linked to the Islamist movement, which is today being re-deployed from Port Sudan as an arm within the apparatus of the de facto authority.
The Organization condemns the revocation of the licenses of the following lawyers:
Mohamed Fadl Hamad, Ahmed Ibrahim Abu Al-Qasim, Adam Ahmed Mohamed Jar, Amer Abakar Mohamed Othman, Mohamed Al-Mahi Mu‘adh Juma, Afrah Mustafa Mohamed Mahmoud, Ahmed Adam Mohamed Dongosh, Abdulrahman Adam Yaqoub Omar, Ali Adam Ali, Issa Mohamed Saleh, Ahmed Issa Abu Sabil, Monsef Al-Amin Abdulrahman, Oday Saeed Abada, Issa Othman Omar Masar, Mohamed Mousa Ma‘ali Ubaid, Abdulraouf Mustafa Mohamed Adam, Mustafa Abdulqader Mohamed Sharaf, Abdulkarim Adam Ismail, Adam Yousif Yahya Juma, Ezzeldin Othman Mohamed Adam, Abdelsalam Khater Adam Ibrahim, Taha Othman Ishaq, Rehab Mubarak Sayed Ahmed, Adam Dawalbeit Mohamed, Batoul Hassan Hamdan Hamdan, Abdulwahab Saeed Abdulkarim Mohamed, Yass Abdulkarim Mohamed Fadl, Fayez Karama Tarju Mousa, Abdulhafiz Abdullah Omar Saadallah, Ismail Dawoud Abdullah Jar Al-Nabi, and Hanan Hassan Khalifa.
Certain cases carry particular significance, foremost among them the targeting of Ms. Rehab Mubarak Sayed Ahmed, widely known for her role in documenting grave violations, her participation in the work of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and her status as a founding member of Emergency Lawyers. The decision against her thus constitutes a direct attack on legal memory and accountability efforts. Likewise, the revocation of Taha Othman Ishaq’s license on account of his peaceful activity within the Somoud Alliance clearly exposes the deliberate conflation of legitimate political engagement with professional disciplinary accountability. The legal profession is not morally neutral in the face of injustice. By its very nature, it stands in favor of right, protects the vulnerable, and serves as a guarantee of the rule of law. The criminalization of this role is an explicit declaration of hostility toward the very concept of justice itself. The Organization recalls that Article 26 of the African Charter obliges states to safeguard the independence of judicial institutions and legal professions, and mandates regional and international mechanisms to intervene when such institutions are transformed into instruments of repression.
Accordingly, the Organization affirms that Decision No. 32/2025 is legally null and void, and calls for: 1. The immediate and unconditional annulment of the decision. 2. The cessation of all forms of targeting of lawyers and human rights defenders, and the guarantee of their protection. 3. The opening of an independent investigation, under the supervision of impartial regional and international mechanisms, into the violations to which they have been subjected, and the holding of those responsible to account. 4. Urgent intervention by regional and international mechanisms, in particular: – The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers. – International professional organizations, including the International Bar Association. 5. Support for and recognition of the sole legitimate professional authority, namely the Steering Committee chaired by Mr. Ali Qiloub, which affirms that “all activities and decisions issued by the dissolved bar association are null and devoid of legal effect.”
Contact Information:
African-European Organization for Humanitarian Action and Development Email: oaahd11@gmail.com https://Oaahd.com https://oaahd.org/en WhatsApp: +33 753936781
