Tomo Križnar

Tomo Križnar ( born August 26, 1954 in Jesenice, Yugoslavia, now Slovenia) is a Slovenian writer and peace activist, and in 2006 was special envoy of the Slovene president for Darfur region in Sudan.

Tomo Križnar had already traveled to the Sudan in the 1980s and again in 1998 and there stopped in the Nuba in the Nuba Mountains. After his second visit, he published books and films about the Nuba (especially Nuba - the pure people ), in which he also reported on the human rights violations against the Nuba. In addition Križnar visited numerous other countries, including the occupied Tibet.

Arrest in Darfur / Sudan 2006

In February 2006, Tomo Križnar was entered without a valid visa with the help of rebels from the neighboring country of Chad in the Sudanese Darfur region to investigate than Sonderabgesandter the Slovenian government, the states in the ongoing Darfur conflict.

July 20, 2006 Križnar was arrested and on 14 August 2006 for "illegal entry, espionage and spreading false news " by a court in al - Fasher in the state Schamal Darfur ( North Darfur ) to two years imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 dinars (2,400 dollars) condemned. His photographic equipment and film and photo material were seized. After completing his sentence Križnar should be expelled from the country.

The Government of Slovenia called for the release Tomo Križnars. The Slovenian President Janez Drnovšek wrote a corresponding letter to his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir and sent another special envoy to Sudan, to reach this goal. Finally, al -Bashir ordered on September 2 at the pardon and release Križnars. On September 5, Križnar could return to Slovenia, but had to be film and photo material - the documented according to him, among other mass graves - leave in Sudan.