Sudanese government suspends independent newspaper for second time in two months

By MOHAMED OSMAN Associated Press Writer

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Dec 03, 2003 (AP) — For a second time in two months, the government imposed a temporary ban on an independent newspaper Wednesday, stopping its presses as they were two-thirds of the way through their run, the editor said.

“We really do not have any official note as to why the paper was suspended,” the editor-in-chief of Al-Ayam, Mohamed Salih, told The Associated Press.

Security officials entered the printing house of Al-Ayam at 2 a.m. (0000 GMT) in Khartoum and ordered the presses to stop, Salih said.

Officials at the Council for Press and Publications could not be reached Wednesday for comment on the suspension, which was ordered by a state prosecutor.

Last month, Al-Ayam, which has been publishing for 50 years, was suspended for six days. It was accused of publishing articles that threatened Sudan’s security, but a court overturned the ban.

The U.S. Embassy criticized last month’s ban, issuing a statement that called for the newspaper’s return. The statement said it hoped “press censorship truly and finally becomes a matter of Sudan’s past.”

President Omar el-Bashir said in August that state censorship would be lifted, but restrictions on the press have remained.