Sudan spy chief defends press censorship rules

November 17, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — The head of Sudan’s National Security and Intelligence Service Salah Gosh defended the enforcement of press censorship rules in saying it is necessary to protect the interest of the country.

“The exceptional measures imposed on newspapers are a result of harmful and irresponsible practices that affected and still affect the nation’s higher and strategic interests” Gosh told a group of media figures today.

Gosh described the press censorship as “legal and constitutional” before adding that it is also “approved by the presidency”.

The statements by Gosh a day after Sudanese authorities arrested over 70 journalists who demonstrated outside the national parliament to protest against press censorship.

The journalists gathered to present a memorandum to the lawmakers asking them to revise Press and Media Law and to make it conform to the interim constitution.

Moreover ten Sudanese newspapers suspended publication on Tuesday as part of the growing protest against state censorship.

But Gosh dismissed the protests stressing that “censorship will not be lifted under pressure from anybody”.

“Censorship was lifted more than once and again imposed because of repeated violations by newspapers to journalism code of ethics and not considering the political interests, foreign and economic interests of the country” he said.

The Sudanese official left the door open for lifting censorship provided “freedom is expressed responsibly”.

The meeting between Gosh and the media figures established a six-man committee to come up with proposals to reach a compromise on the issue of censorship.

Freedom of the press was guaranteed in Sudan in a 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of civil war between the north and south, but journalists have repeatedly complained about print-run seizures and other harassment.

Sudanese authorities have stepped up their censorship of Sudanese newspapers after the Chadian rebels backed by Khartoum launched an attack on Ndjamena.

Many Sudanese journalists at the time pointed fingers to their government of masterminding the attack on Ndjamena last February.

Gosh lashed out at journalists who made such allegations during a press conference at the time.

The spy chief, who appeared shaken at the press conference, said that some journalists want to be “fake heroes” by accusing the government of supporting Chadian rebels describing that as “cheap”.

“We know that there are some journalists who are in contact with some embassies and receiving money from them” he added.

(ST)