Sudanese security seizes Akhir Lahza newspaper

April 22, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Friday has confiscated copies of Akhir Lahza daily newspaper from the printing house without stating any reasons.

Since last week, the NISS has intensified its crackdown on the newspaper and confiscated copies of Al-Taghyeer and Al-Saiha newspapers for two days in a row.

The newspapers which were seized recently are owned by Islamists figures and members of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) including the minister of health at Khartoum state Mamoun Humaida and former governor Al-Hag Atta al-Manan.

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 NISS routinely confiscates newspapers either to prevent circulation of certain stories or to punish them retroactively on previous issues.

It uses seizures of print copies of newspapers, not only to censor the media but also to weaken them economically.

Last week, the United Nations independent expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Aristide Nononsi discussed with the Sudanese Journalists Union (SJU) the press freedom conditions in the country.

He also discussed with the Chief Editor of Al-Tayyar newspaper Osman Merghani the circumstances which surrounded the suspension of the newspaper since last December.

Nononsi is currently conducting a two-week visit to Sudan to assess the efforts of the Sudanese government to comply with its international human rights obligation.

(ST)