Sudan expels BBC correspondent, because of “hostile reporting”

By Charles Luganya Ronyo

April 12, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese authorities have expelled the BBC Correspondent from the country. The ministry of interior accused him of hostile reporting, described as part of the western media propaganda against Khartoum.

The BBC correspondent in Sudan, Jonah Fisher, was served with an expulsion letter from the Sudan’s ministry of interior on March 25 indicating that he should leave the country within 30 days for his hostile reporting on Darfur and on the ICC report which has named two Sudanese including the Junior minister in the ministry for humanitarian affairs Ahmed Haron.

Jonah Fisher who has decided to leave the country on Friday 13 ahead of the deadline given to him by the Sudanese authorities, in 2006 has compiled a documentary on Darfur basing on the facts on the ground and revealed that the Janjaweed militias were getting direct support from the Sudanese government.

Late February, the ICC Prosecutor Acompo accused the two Sudanese of commiting human crimes in the Sudan’s western region of Darfur.

Jonah Fisher who was also expelled from Eritrea in September 2004 worked as BBC correspondent in Sudan since October 2004 where he served for two year and six months in the country.

Jonah Fisher was not able to comment on his expulsion.

The expulsion the BBC journalist is a clear signal that justifies the total lack of media freedom.

(ST)