Sudan proposes new media law granting authorities oversight of online press
May 27, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Recommendations from a workshop organized by Sudan’s Ministry of Information have granted authorities the right to monitor online newspapers and proposed the establishment of a new body that would include members of the regular armed forces.
The Ministry of Culture and Information held a two-day workshop on Monday and Tuesday to discuss amendments to the 2009 Press and Publications Law. Senior state officials, including the deputy head of the Sovereign Council, the Attorney General, and military leaders, participated.
The recommendations, as seen by Sudan Tribune, included the creation of an “administrative coordination system for managing and registering electronic publishing platforms and media, as well as those involved in them.”
The workshop proposed a new coordinating mechanism for governing electronic publishing, to include technical agencies of the regular armed forces, the Telecommunications and Post Authority, the National Information Centre, telecommunications companies, and the National Council for Press and Publications. This body would aim to enhance coordination and exchange expertise.
Notably, the Sudanese Journalists’ Syndicate, the first independently monitored elected syndicate since the 1989 coup by ousted President Omar al-Bashir, did not participate in the workshop.
The recommendations also suggested expanding the mandate of the National Council for Press and Publications to include electronic media and publishing. This expansion would aim to implement a national strategy that includes policies, systems, legislation, and monitoring of electronic publishing platforms to ensure content quality.
The workshop called for establishing professional principles that balance freedoms with national security and personal privacy protection. It further proposed creating a legislative framework to regulate electronic publishing and media, along with a review of existing legal frameworks governing public space, starting with the press law.
The recommendations urged a redefinition of “journalism” in the new law to encompass print and electronic journalism, news websites, and even news aggregation sites. They also called for training journalists on national security concepts and key national issues, as well as the establishment of a professional mechanism to verify the reliability of news dissemination.
Four working papers were presented at the workshop, discussing the legal framework for the press, the electronic journalism industry, the relationship between freedom and responsibility, and the protection of national security and societal values.
Minister of Culture and Information Khaled Aleiser stated after receiving the workshop’s recommendations that these proposals “will receive special attention from the state leadership.”
Malik Agar, Deputy Head of the Sovereign Council, addressing the workshop on Monday, called for granting press freedoms, ensuring the independence of the press, and facilitating its access to resources to guarantee its sustainability.