Ban lifted on Sudanese newspaper

KHARTOUM, Sept 10 (AFP) — Sudan’s appeals court has overturned a ruling to suspend the licence of the English-language newspaper Khartoum Monitor, the daily’s chief editor said Wednesday.

Alfred Taban told AFP he received a letter signed by Judge Abdel Aziz Ahmed Ali, member of the three-judge court of appeals, cancelling the ruling by a Khartoum criminal court.

The initial ruling imposed fines on two journalists of the newspaper and ordered its licence withdrawn. Ali said the case would be retried.

The paper was shut down on July 12 when each of the journalists was fined 500,000 pounds (about 200 dollars), a sum which Taban said they would demand to be refunded.

The Monitor will resume publication on Saturday having received a green light from the National Press Council, Taban said.