Sudanese security arrests two journalists

November 11, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) has continued crackdown on press freedoms and detained two journalists on Thursday, said media watchdog groups.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday, the non-governmental Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) network said the NISS has detained Mohamed Al-Amin Abdel-Aziz, a journalist, collaborator of Al-Jareeda newspaper.

According to JHR, Abdel-Aziz was detained on a side alley in downtown Khartoum, saying he was beaten at the moment of his arrest.

It added the NISS also beat and detained journalist Amal Habani after she left the premises of a courtroom in Khartoum where she attended the trial of several civil society activists.

JHR quoted Habani as saying her car was intercepted by the NISS officers while she was leaving the courtroom, pointing she was detained and her mobile phone was seized under the pretext that she took pictures of NISS elements.

“A NISS officer slapped me on my face, and I was released after two hours of detention and they gave me back my mobile phone,” she said.

Meanwhile, in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday, the Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) has condemned the detention of its member Abdel-Aziz holding the NISS and regime responsible for his safety.

It pointed out that eyewitness have said that Abdel-Aziz was severely beaten on the head at the moment of his arrest, stressing that it is following up on his case and would take further measures after consulting with the journalists.

Also, the SJN has denounced the beating and detention of Habani at the NISS office in Khartoum.

Sudanese journalists work under tight daily censorship controls exercised by the NISS.

Sudan’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression but laws subordinate to the constitution such as the National Security Forces Act of 2010 contains articles that can be potentially used to curtail press freedom and instigate legal proceedings against newspapers and individual journalists.

(ST)