Government suspends independent daily

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Nv 29, 2003 (AP) — The government has suspended a newspaper critical of the government, saying it is a threat to society and the country’s stability, according to an official statement obtained Saturday.

The statement containing the order to suspend the English-language Khartoum Monitor was issued Monday. But the newspaper received a copy of it Saturday when editors returned from a five-day holiday marking Eid al-Fitr that ends the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Ngor Kolong, the newspaper’s lawyer, told The Associated Press.

“We are going to appeal this decision,” Kolong said. “We don’t think the paper has violated (the law).”

The statement, which was released by the office of government lawyer Mohamed Farid, said Khartoum Monitor “does not serve the national cause or the citizens.”

“It rebels against all that could bring stability to this homeland, and its continuation does not serve peace and causes a threat to society and an outstanding threat to the individual,” said the statement.

“Therefore, we have decided to suspend Khartoum Monitor,” the statement added. “Investigations will be carried out as soon as possible.”

Khartoum Monitor is the only English language daily in Sudan and a leading critic of conditions in the south of the country, where a civil war has been waged for 20 years. It has been fined and suspended several times since it came out four years ago.

The measure against Khartoum Monitor came less than 10 days after another daily, Al-Ayam, was suspended for publishing articles that allegedly threatened Sudan’s security. Al-Ayam has resumed publication, but it is still being investigated by the government.

Sudan has a history of suspending newspapers and detaining journalists. In August, President Omar el-Bashir declared that state censorship of newspapers would be lifted. But press restrictions have remained in place.