Masked men attack publisher of Sudanese daily newspaper

April 25, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – A group of masked men have assaulted a journalist and the publisher of al-Mustaqilla newspaper, Ali Hamdan, late Friday in front of his house in Khartoum’s affluent neighbourhood of al-Riyadh.

Hamdan said he was first hit by a rock on his back while he was parking his car in front of his residence before being attacked by four masked men, adding that one of attackers was carrying a knife.

He said that he managed to resist the assailants before they fled and got inside a truck
that was waiting for them, stressing that they had every intention of killing him.

Hamdan also claimed that it was the same truck that was chasing him for four days in a row, noting that he has no bodyguards.

He was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment and charges have been filed at al-Riyadh police station.

He expected the police to swiftly find the perpetrators particularly as evidences exist.

Police director general Hashim Osman Al Hussein, the director of the police criminal investigation department and the deputy director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) have visited Hamdan at the hospital to check on his health.

Sudan Tribune recalls that Hamdan wrote a series of columns under the title “Wonders of Shanbali” criticising the governor of the White Nile state, Youssef al-Shanbali, and his government.

A similar incident occurred in July 2014 when a group of masked gunmen stormed the building of al-Tayyar daily newspaper in Khartoum and assaulted its editor-in-chief, Osman Merghani.

The police have so far failed to capture the perpetrators.

(ST)