A/HRC/9/13 page 3 Introduction 1. The Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 2005/82 established the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan. Sima Samar was appointed as mandate-holder. The Special Rapporteur was requested to monitor the human rights situation in the Sudan and report to the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly. The Human Rights Council, in resolution 6/34, decided to extend for one year the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, in accordance with Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/82. 2. In resolution 6/34, the Council further requested the Special Rapporteur to ensure effective follow-up and to foster the implementation of the remaining short- and medium-term recommendations identified in the first report of the group of experts mandated by the Human Rights Council in resolution 4/8 (the group of experts)2 through an open and constructive dialogue with the Government of the Sudan, taking into account the final report of the group of experts3 and the replies of the Government thereon, and to include information in this regard in her report to the Council at its ninth session. The addendum to this report contains information in this regard. 3. In resolution 7/16, the Council expressed particular concern that perpetrators of past and ongoing serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have not yet been held accountable for their crimes and urged the Government of the Sudan to address urgently this question by thoroughly investigating all allegations of human rights and international humanitarian law violations, promptly bringing to justice the perpetrators of those violations. The Council urged the Government of the Sudan to continue cooperating fully with the Special Rapporteur and to respond favourably to her request to visit all parts of the Sudan to provide her with all the necessary information to enable her to fulfil her mandate even more effectively. 4. This report covers the period January to July 2008 and updates the report presented to the seventh session of the Human Rights Council in March 2008.4 It reflects the findings of the Special Rapporteur’s visits to Sudan, which were undertaken from 28 February to 10 March 2008 and from 29 June to 11 July 2008, respectively. 5. During her first visit to the Sudan this year the Special Rapporteur focused on the situation in northern Sudan, eastern Sudan and Darfur. The Special Rapporteur visited Kober prison in Khartoum and interviewed three groups of people on the circumstances of their arrest, detention and trial: defendants charged in connection with the murder of a student at Nilein University in February 2007; detainees sentenced to death for the murder of newspaper editor Mohamed Taha; and detainees sentenced to between 10 and 20 years’ imprisonment for allegedly having plotted a coup in 2004. In her second visit to the country the Special Rapporteur focused on the situation in northern Sudan, Darfur, the transitional areas and Southern Sudan. 2 A/HRC/5/6. 3 A/HRC/6/19. 4 A/HRC/7/22.