Press advocacy group calls to end harassment on Sudanese journalists and media

June 18, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – An advocacy group for the promotion of press freedom worldwide Monday called on the Sudanese security service to halt censorship of news outlets, questioning journalists, and revoking reporters’ accreditation.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)’s call comes the recent seizure for several times of the entire run-prints of two dailies Al-Tayyar and Al-Youm Altali, and the interrogation of two journalists Shamael al-Nur of Al-Tayyar and Ahmed Younes, the correspondent for the London-based paper Al-Sharq al-Awsat.

In a statement released on Monday, the CPJ said they sent the request by email to the Sudanese authorities

The made its call in an email sent to the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) adding they did not yet get a response from them.

“Sudanese authorities cannot hide behind the censor every time a journalist expresses a critical opinion or exposes harsh realities,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour.

“Sudanese authorities must stop harassing the independent press, and let the media work and publish freely,” he further added.

Ahmed Younes who was interrogated early this month told Sudan Tribune that the (NISS) withdrew his licence and stopped him from reporting to his London based newspaper. While al-Nur said she had been ordered to stop writing negatively or positively about President Omer al-Bashir.

The two journalists wrote recently about the al-Bashir’s candidature for the elections of 2020 which is not yet official but raise heated debate in the country as many call for his departure after 30 years of rule.

(ST)