Sudan’s NCP due to overhaul media regulations: sources

January 12, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Sudan is planning to announce new measures related to the media sector which would remove many restrictions that were in place over the last few years.

Party sources said that the decision will expand the areas of press freedom and allow for the return of suspended columnists in addition to exempting newspapers from certain duties and taxes on paper.

The government also plans to integrate the state radio and television into a single institution.

Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) routinely seizes newspapers after publication and shut down others while imposing pre-publication censorship to prevent dailies from addressing certain political, military and security issues.

Dozens of columnists were also banned from writing in newspapers under NISS orders.

The NISS intensified its crackdown on press in the country, introducing tough new measures to prevent media outlets from covering recent anti-government protests, which erupted last September following the lifting of subsidies on fuel.

(ST)