US journalist in Darfur court for espionage

Aug 26, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — An American journalist appeared in court in Darfur on Saturday on charges of espionage and entering the country illegally, his lawyers and other sources said.

Paul Salopek, a photographer for National Geographic magazine, was arrested last week for crossing into Sudan via Darfur’s long and porous border with neighbouring Chad.

“He obtained an adjournment for two weeks for us to prepare our case,” said his lawyer, Mohamed Khalil. “The court atmosphere was very good.”

Khalil did not confirm the exact charges facing Salopek but two other U.S. sources said he had been charged with espionage and entering the country illegally.

During the early part of Darfur’s 3-1/2-year-old conflict, Sudanese authorities denied foreign journalists permission to travel to the region and heavily censored the national press.

Many reporters then crossed illegally through Chad to cover the fighting, which created what U.N. officials called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with 2.5 million having fled their homes to miserable camps.

Authorities have improved procedures for journalists to travel to Darfur through Khartoum, but some who find it difficult to get Sudanese visas still decide to enter through Chad.

A Darfur court earlier this month sentenced a Slovenian presidential envoy, Tomo Kriznar, to two years in prison and a fine for espionage among other charges. He had also crossed into Darfur from Chad.

(Reuters)

On the net : A paper backs to 1998 about Paul Salopek.