People's Tribunal Sudan | Sarj, Bana Group for Peace and Development & Berlin Biennale

The People’s Tribunal on the Systematic Targeting of Women Activists in Sudan, presented by the Bana Group for Peace and Development

On Sunday, June 22nd, as part of the 13th Berlin Biennale, a People’s Tribunal was held in the Kulturfabrik Moabit. A People’s Tribunal is a community-sourced judicial forum to address human rights violations and crimes against humanity when justice has been denied on a state or international level. This show is a recording of the hearing section of the live tribunal, to examine the persistent failure to deliver justice to the Sudanese people, despite overwhelming evidence of repression and atrocity. The hearing was followed by an open forum with the public, which will not be aired here.

The People’s Tribunal on the Systematic Targeting of Women Activists in Sudan was presented by the Bana Group for Peace and Development. Bana Group for Peace and Development is a feminist network of activists from across Sudan. The group was established in 2017 and played an active role in the December 2018/2019 Revolution. The members come from and are based in various regions of Sudan, particularly in marginalized communities, including North Darfur, West Darfur, South Darfur, South Kordofan, West Kordofan, Blue Nile State, Red Sea State, El-Gezira State, White Nile State, Northern State, Khartoum State, Uganda and Egypt.

https://banagroup.org/

The ongoing conflict in Sudan, which pits the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has unleashed a wave of human rights abuses. While the general civilian population has suffered immensely, women have become specific targets of egregious violence and systematic oppression by both warring parties and their affiliates. This case highlights the atrocities committed against these women, showcasing a deliberate effort to silence their voices, dismantle their networks, and suppress any form of dissent. In particular, the well-documented connections between the SAF and RSF’s use of sexual violence, enforced disappearances, physical assault, and targeted killings, including the mass atrocities committed in Darfur, were addressed. The discussion places these failures within a broader history of international impunity.

Speakers of the tribunal:

• Introduction from Berlin Biennale mediation team: Jasmine Grace Wenzel

• Awareness team: Jaya Chakravarti, Kemo Kebbeh

• Judge: Stacy Douglas

• Prosecutor: Kauther Alhusainy

• Moderation and Translation: Ilaaf Khalfalla

• Witness 1: Ekram Hamza

• Witness 2: Amira Osman

• Witness 3, video: Anonymous journalist testimonial

• Witness 4, video: Sojoud Elgarrai (not present in the Tribunal due to visa denial)

• Legal Advisors (not heard): Samah Osman and Czarina Musni

• Mediation team (not heard): Duygu Örs

A second People’s Tribunal will take place on August 24th, 2025, on the Cultural Repression and Reclamation of Freedom of Expression in the Philippines, hosted by International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines and ALPAS Pilipinas. It will be aired live on Refuge Worldwide.

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mediation concept for the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art 2025 by Duygu Örs und Jasmine Grace Wenzel:

"On the Re-Politicization of the Practice of Art Mediation" https://13.berlinbiennale.de/en/about/mediation-concept-by-duygu-oers-und-jasmine-grace-wenzel)