Public freedoms remain severely restricted in Sudan – rights centre

September 17, 2009 (LONDON) – Months before the general election scheduled to take place in April 2010 freedom of expression and public discussion are increasingly targeted by Sudan’s security apparatus, rights center said today.

“Since the beginning of August, Sudanese authorities have systematically targeted any activities, symposia, public rallies or lectures related to the elections. Also, censorship of the media by the security services has, in recent weeks, increasingly targeted discussions of the elections,” said the London based the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS).

In a statement released on Thursday the ACJPS enumerated a series of incidents – ban of public talk or press conferences, raid of offices of political groups, and press censorship– demonstrating the restriction of public freedoms in the country in flagrant violation of the interim constitution of 2005.

The rights centre reported the ban of a public talk on the next year elections last August held by the opposition Sudanese Congress Party despite having the necessary authorization. It also detailed a raid carried by security agents on the offices of an opposition party (Haq) in South Darfur.

This month the security services which review the content of the daily newspapers before to print it prevented the publication of Al-Sudani on September 9 and Al-Midan on September 10 after the belated removal of the many articles.

“These incidents demonstrate that the government is actively restricting these rights and, by extension, undermining the possibility for free and fair elections and the credibility of the polling exercise,” said the centre.

(ST)