Clamp-down on press during Sudan protests

Several journalists and correspondents of Arabic satellite channels were detained and their equipment confiscated by Sudanese authorities while they covered the mass demonstrations in Khartoum yesterday. The security apparatus has directed all newspapers not to cover the protests.

In a statement, the Sudanese Network of Journalists condemned the arrest of Mamoun El Tilib (El Sudani), Imtinan El Radi (El Youm El Tali), Amal Habani (El Hurra newspaper), Mohamed Osman (BBC correspondent), Haidar Kheirallah, and writer Abdelghani Karamallah after covering the demonstration. Most of them were released later, however journalist and activist Amal Habani and others are still in detention.

In its statement, the network called on the authority and its agencies to release the detainees immediately, to keep their hands from the press and to allow journalists to play their rightful role.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, journalist Adil Kolor launched a harsh attack on the security services and condemned “the systematic targeting of journalists and media by categorising them as the enemy, without regard to the procedural immunity that should be available to them while covering various events and incidents”.

Print runs seized

On Tuesday morning, the security apparatus confiscated the print run of El Midan of the Communist Party and the independent daily newspaper El Jareeda without giving explanation.

El Jareeda editor-in-chief Ashraf Abdelaziz told Radio Dabanga that the security apparatus has directed all the newspapers not to cover the protests.

Members of the security services confiscated the newspaper after printing at 2 am on Tuesday. He said that what he termed “punitive confiscations of the newspapers” cause heavy material and moral losses.

He explained that the material loss of one newspaper edition amounts to SDG 40,000 ($5,700*). He attributed the confiscation of the newspaper to its focus on the budget, rise of prices and the coverage of peaceful protests in spite of the instructions of the authorities.

* Based on the official US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS)