Sudanese journalists arrested over polls coverage, rights group says
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May 16, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Two Sudanese journalists have been arrested
and interrogated for several hours by security authorities following
their coverage of contentious elections in the country’s central state
of South Kordofan, according to a local press-freedom watchdog.
JPEG - 11 kb
A Sudanese journalist protests against censorship in Khartoum November
4, 2008 (Reuters)
The Network of Sudanese Journalists (NSJ), a non-governmental advocacy
group, on Monday said that the reporter Mohamed Al-Fatih Hamah of
Al-Maydan newspaper, the bi-weekly mouthpiece of the Sudanese
Communist Party, and Rashan Awshi of the privately-owned daily
Al-Tayyar were arrested by security authorities immediately after
their return to the capital Khartoum from South Kordofan State, where
they covered legislative and gubernatorial elections.
NSJ reported that the two journalists were arrested by the Sudanese
army’s intelligence agents and interrogated for seven hours before
being turned over to the National Intelligence and Security Services
(NISS) which subjected them to further interrogation.
“NSG strongly condemns the arrest of Mohamed Al-Fatih Hamah Rashan
Awshi,” NSJ said in a press release of which Sudan Tribune received a
copy, adding that their arrest was antithetical to two articles in the
press law of 2009.
NSJ further called on the Ministry of Justice to investigate the
arrest of the two journalists and bring the perpetrators to account.
“NSJ demands that the presidency of the republic safeguards the rights
enshrined in the [country’s] interim constitution, international
conventions and local laws,” the press release read.
However, NSJ’s press release failed to mention whether the two
journalists were released or still in custody.
Sudan’s interim constitution of 2005 guarantees press freedom but
journalists complain that the authorities often use subsidiary laws to
censor newspapers and arrest reporters.
The country’s relatively free print-press, in compare to the
tightly-controlled broadcast media, continues to grapple with state
censorship and confiscation of copies, which causes great financial
loss to newspapers.
Two Sudanese journalists were charged with defamation in March this
year for writing about the alleged rape of a female activist by
security agents in the aftermath of anti-government protests in
January this year.
In November 2008, Sudanese authorities rounded up over 70 journalists
who attempted to stage a protest outside the gates of the country’s
parliament against censorship.
(ST)
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