Jalila Khamis Koko

Jalila Khamis Koko , also known as Jalila Khamis Kuku (born around 1968 in the state of Dschanub Kurdufan , Sudan ), is a Sudanese teacher and human rights activist. In March 2012, the Sudanese secret service NISS arrested her on suspicion of treason. After ten months in prison, Khamis was released in January 2013, and in December 2013 she received the Heroes for Human Rights Award 2013 from the European Union .

Life

Jalila Khamis was born around 1968 in the state of Dschanub Kurdufan (South Kurdufan) in the Nuba mountain region of Sudan and belongs to the Nuba people . With the exception of a short period between 2005 and 2011, the region was or is always dominated by war and conflict.

Khamis lives with her husband and five children in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum , where she worked as a teacher for many years. She is a member of the Sudan's People's Liberation Movement-North opposition party, which was banned in 2011, and is active in various NGOs that campaign for women's rights in Sudan.

After the draft of the “ Comprehensive Peace Agreement ” (also “Naivasha Agreement”) in 2005, which was supposed to end the 25-year conflict in her home country, Khamis returned to her home village of Katcha in the Buram district . The children in the village had a long way to school, which is why Khamis founded his own village school. She organized donations for the school and managed to find teaching staff for the facility.

In 2011 the conflict broke out again in the region, with the population in particular again becoming the target of violence. Thousands of people fled the area to Karthum and South Sudan . Khamis set up emergency shelter for refugees in her home in Khartoum. In addition, she tried to attract (international) attention to the conflict through the media; she herself called the conflict “a prepared military strategy for ethnic cleansing of the Nuba population”. She called for an end to the conflict. The YouTube video that she created and uploaded, in which she denounced the violence against the Nuba population and criticized the Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir , subsequently led to her arrest by the Sudanese secret service NISS . She was charged with treason and was denied access to legal counsel.

Numerous human rights and women's rights organizations campaigned for their release in international media and made calls on social media. The Sudanese nonviolent movement GIRIFINA also protested against their detention in front of the Omdurman women's prison. In January 2013, Khamis was released after the Karthum Criminal Court ruled that there was no basis for a charge. For her efforts, she received the “Heroes for Human Rights Award 2013” from the European Union delegation in Khartoum on International Human Rights Day in December 2013.

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b ^c Louise Hogan: History repeats itself in Sudan. In: Women under Siege. November 12, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016 .
↑ ^a ^b Maha Elsanosi: Jalila Khamis: a beacon of inspiration. In: Opendemocracy.net. February 10, 2013, accessed October 28, 2016 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Osman Naway: Sudan: Race-based violence and torture. In: Pambazuka News. November 8, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016 .
↑ Amel Gorani: South Kordofan: activism, resilience and sacrifice. In: Opendemocracy.net. November 29, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016 .
↑ Women trade unionists call for justice for Jalila Khamis Koko. Education International, December 18, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016 .
↑ WHRD IC calls for release of Jalila Khamis Koko in Sudan. Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition, December 13, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016 .
↑ Jalila Khamis Koko released. Amnesty International Germany, January 23, 2013, accessed October 28, 2016 .
↑ Human Rights Day: Ambassador Tomas says Europe will continue to protect human rights defenders worldwide (12/12/2013). European Union Delegation in Sudan, December 12, 2013, accessed on October 28, 2016 .

personal data
SURNAME	Khamis Koko, Jalila
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Khamis Kuku, Jalila
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Sudanese teacher and human rights activist
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1968
PLACE OF BIRTH	Janub Kurdufan , Sudan

[:0-1] A ^b ^c Louise Hogan: History repeats itself in Sudan. In: Women under Siege. November 12, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016 .

[:1-2] Maha Elsanosi: Jalila Khamis: a beacon of inspiration. In: Opendemocracy.net. February 10, 2013, accessed October 28, 2016 .

[:2-3] Osman Naway: Sudan: Race-based violence and torture. In: Pambazuka News. November 8, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016 .

[4] Amel Gorani: South Kordofan: activism, resilience and sacrifice. In: Opendemocracy.net. November 29, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016 .

[5] Women trade unionists call for justice for Jalila Khamis Koko. Education International, December 18, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016 .

[6] WHRD IC calls for release of Jalila Khamis Koko in Sudan. Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition, December 13, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016 .

[7] Jalila Khamis Koko released. Amnesty International Germany, January 23, 2013, accessed October 28, 2016 .

[8] Human Rights Day: Ambassador Tomas says Europe will continue to protect human rights defenders worldwide (12/12/2013). European Union Delegation in Sudan, December 12, 2013, accessed on October 28, 2016 .