Sudanese security summons two female journalists, suspends columnist

September 9, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Saturday has interrogated Chief-Editor of Baj News website Lina Yacoub for 12 hours.

Yacoub was summoned to the NISS office in Khartoum at 4:00 pm (local time) on Saturday and allowed to leave at 4:00 am on Sunday. She was ordered to report to the same office at 9:00 am on Sunday.

Reliable sources told Sudan Tribune that Yacoub has been pressured to reveal the names of her sources.

Baj News is an independent news website owned by a Sudanese businessman Malik Jaafar Sir al-Khatim. It was launched in November 2017.

Yacoub is also a columnist at Al-Sudani newspaper and a talk show host at Ashorooq TV.

Baj News website became popular for publishing reports on recent government monetary policies and the ongoing anti-corruption campaign carried out by the NISS.

Last week, it published a medical report issued from the prestigious Royal Care Clinic on the health condition of a high-rank officer and former director of political security department at the NISS, Abdel-Ghafar al-Sharif, who has been detained last July on corruption charges.

Also, the NISS on Sunday afternoon summoned journalist at Al-Tayyar newspaper Maha al-Tilib.

BANNING AL-SAIHA NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST

Meanwhile, the NISS has banned columnist Abdel-Bagi al-Zafir from writing in Al-Saiha newspaper.

Chairman of Al-Saiha board of directors, Al-Tayeb Mustafa, on Sunday said the NISS has instructed him verbally to stop al-Zafir from writing in the news daily.

Last month, the NISS banned al-Zafir who also hosts Al-Midan Al-Sharqi talk show at Omdurman TV from appearing in the channel.

It is noteworthy that al-Zafir hosted several opposition leading figures who openly criticized the decision of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to nominate President Omer al-Bashir for a third term in the 2020 presidential elections.

(ST)