Sudanese police arrest 70 journalists over protest for press freedom
November 17, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese authorities arrested over 70 journalists who demonstrated outside the national parliament to protest against press censorship, this morning.
The Sudanese police arrested on Monday morning 70 journalists that gathered to present a memorandum to the lawmakers asking them to revise Press and Media Law and to make it conform to the interim constitution.
Two of the arrested journalists told Sudan Tribune that Yasir Arman the head of the SPLM caucus addressed the gathering before their detention and pledged to raise the issue inside the parliament.
Over 150 Sudanese journalists launched on Tuesday on 4 November b a 24-hour hunger strike and the Ajras Al-Hurriya, Al-Maidan and Rayal Al-Shab newspapers halted production for three days, saying they could no longer accept government restrictions over editorial content.
Sudanese Journalists are subjected on daily basis to increased harassment, arrest, detention and interrogation; and their printed newspapers are confiscated, say rights activists in a letter submitted to Submitted to the 44th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights Abuja, Nigeria 14 November 2008.
Since the indictment of the Sudanese president by the prosecutor of International Criminal Court (ICC); the security service imposed a pre-censorship process which involves the appointment of a security officer attached to each newspaper who every evening reviews the text of the edition and decides which articles are to be cut or re-written, columns excised or whole pages and sections removed.
The current escalation in repressive measures against the independent media began in February 2008, immediately after the attempted coup in Chad in which the government of Chad alleged the government of Sudan was complicit.
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tayeb M. Alhassan
Sudanese police arrest 70 journalists over protest for press freedom
Journalists have to understand that there is no absolute freedom of press and the government in turn has to understand there should not be total condemnation of press. Both sides have to agree about certain untouchable high national interests different than ugly pictures always need to be reflected before act to correct.
Maker Deng
Sudanese police arrest 70 journalists over protest for press freedom
arrest 70 journalists over protest for press freedom 17 November 2008 17:20, by Maker Deng
The censorship of press in Sudan is not a taboo,since the government in power is lead by the nitorous man who doesn,t cares about someones,life. Dear readers, let us understand what is mean by indepenedce country.In any independence state like the Sudan,there should be freedom of press because it is where the voice of citzens is heard.Therefore the arrestment of 70 journalists is the seed of Bashir,s weaknesses and his dictatorship.Please sudanese police donot be like a fire flame which burn innocent grasses.Sudan need freedom of press from where we critise our government to provide what the citzens of country need otherwise the sting of a bee cause its own death.
kuur Deng
Sudanese police arrest 70 journalists over protest for press freedom
Just look at it how they Sudanese are missbehaving against humanity.I wouldn’t ougth to tell you that Sudan as an African biggest nation is in cast because of the current leadership in Khartoum.
I think those journalists are so guilt because visiting such places is like visting Daragon’s office in Indian ocean,yes you cann’t believe how mean it but Beshir and his desciples are likely to cause distruction and this is what they had in their muster plan.
So I don’t like people like journalist and expectoriate to visits such places like Khartoum because Beshir will not allow you to expose his divilical workshop.
Dr.William Deng in Sudan