US diplomat raises press freedom with Sudanese parliamentary committee
December 6, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The United States charge d’affaires, Jerry Lanier, has discussed the state of Sudanese journalism with the chairman of the parliamentary subcommittee on Information and Youth and Sports, Afaf Tawir .
She added that the US diplomat asked several questions about the constitutional amendments and how the parliament approves them besides the channels of interaction with the constituencies regarding the amendments.
Tawir said that she did not respond to the diplomat’s questions regarding the constitutional amendments as they are under the jurisdiction of the parliamentary subcommittee on Legislation and Justice.
Sudanese journalists and newspapers continue to work under tight daily censorship controls exercised by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).
Journalists say that confiscation and suspension of newspapers is a commonly used practice by the local authorities to overburden the newspapers with financial losses alongside other non-financial pressures.
Tawir said she informed Lanier of the recent decision of the Chief Justice Waheed Ahmed Dafalla to abolish press prosecution office in al-Jezira and transfer all pending cases to Khartoum state for adjudication, adding that she also asserted that there are “red lines” that press must not cross, particularly those relating to national security.
She underscored the need to activate some laws, saying the remaining period of the current parliamentary session would not suffice to introduce the required amendments to the press law, particularly as the parliament will focus on discussion of the general budget in the coming period.
The parliamentary official further disclosed that they agreed with the US embassy to offer training opportunities for the Sudanese journalists, saying the US diplomat asked her to name several nominees for the coming training session.
WARNING AGAINST CRACKDOWN ON JOURNALISTS
Meanwhile, the African Centre for the Study of Human Rights at the European Union (EU) has warned against continuation of censorship and crackdown on Sudanese journalists, saying this does not serve in any way the democratic change in the country.
In a statement issued on Saturday, it stressed that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right acknowledged by all constitutions, laws and international conventions, adding that the deteriorating situation of freedoms in Sudan is considered one of the major obstacles to democratic transformation.
The statement mentioned the arrest of the journalist, Rashan Oshi, who works for al-Watan daily newspaper and the prosecution of the journalist, Shamai’l al-Nour, who works for al-Jareeda.
It added these criminalising measures violate freedom of speech, noting that any measures taken against journalists prevent the media from playing its monitoring role as fourth power.
The statement also pointed that adoption of criminal litigation methods in dealing with publishing cases represents a tangible progress, stressing it was not carried out probably and meant to disguise the arbitrary arrest and gagging methods.
It demanded that publishing cases be prosecuted at the press and publication prosecution, calling for granting journalists full legal rights against their opponents who are largely government bodies.
Sudan’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression but laws subordinate to the constitution such as the National Security Forces Act of 2010 contains articles that can be potentially used to curtail press freedom and instigate legal proceedings against newspapers and individual journalists.
The Sudanese government vowed to ensure press freedom as part of confidence-building measures ahead of national dialogue.
(ST)