Khartoum court condemns opposition journalists to years in prison, shuts newspaper
A judge in Khartoum today condemned three journalists to years of jail and ordered the permanent closure of their newspaper, Rai Al Shaab. Judge Mudasir Rashid this morning at a local court in Khartoum North convicted the opposition journalists on charges of incitement of violence and trying to overthrow the regime. The journalists have been detained since May 2010, when security officers raided the paper and simultaneously arrested Hassan Al Turabi, whose Popular Congress Party is affiliated with the newspaper. The deputy editor-in-chief, Abuzar Ali Al Amin, was condemned to five years in prison for violating the Sudanese criminal law and Sudan Press and Publications Act. He had also been accused of terrorism but this charge was dropped. The general editor, Ashraf Abdelaziz, was condemned to two years in prison. The political editor, Al-Tahir Abu Jawhara, was condemned to two years in prison. The editorial secretary, Mahjoub Ramadan, was acquitted of all charges. The court also authorized confiscation of all properties of Rai Al Shaab newspaper and closed it indefinitely.
A judge in Khartoum today condemned three journalists to years of jail and ordered the permanent closure of their newspaper, Rai Al Shaab. Judge Mudasir Rashid this morning at a local court in Khartoum North convicted the opposition journalists on charges of incitement of violence and trying to overthrow the regime. The journalists have been detained since May 2010, when security officers raided the paper and simultaneously arrested Hassan Al Turabi, whose Popular Congress Party is affiliated with the newspaper.
The deputy editor-in-chief, Abuzar Ali Al Amin, was condemned to five years in prison for violating the Sudanese criminal law and Sudan Press and Publications Act. He had also been accused of terrorism but this charge was dropped. The general editor, Ashraf Abdelaziz, was condemned to two years in prison. The political editor, Al-Tahir Abu Jawhara, was condemned to two years in prison. The editorial secretary, Mahjoub Ramadan, was acquitted of all charges. The court also authorized confiscation of all properties of Rai Al Shaab newspaper and closed it indefinitely.Abu Bakr Abdel Razek, a representative of the defense team, compared the verdict to two earlier events in Sudanese history: the 1924 arrest of Ali Abdel Latif, who led a revolt against British colonial rule, and the more recent detention of PCP figure Kamal Omar. According to the lawyer, the defendants will appeal the court ruling. Journalists, human rights activists and lawyers voiced opposition to the verdict, saying it goes against the spirit of democratic transformation. Eight newspapers have announced a strike in protest of the ruling. They said it will start tomorrow.
The association of journalists in Sudan, which is close to the ruling National Congress Party, nonetheless announced support for the newspaper strike. The spokesman Faisal Mohamed Saleh said in a press conference today that after the court ruling in Khartoum this morning, the association began consulting with other publishers and editors-in-chief. He said they expected more papers will join the strike. Eight papers on Thursday afternoon confirmed they will strike including: Ajras Al-Hurriya, Al Sahafa, Al Ahdath, Al Ayaam, Al Midan and Khartoum Monitor. The same group of papers struck last year after authorities detained 67 journalists for taking part in a gathering in front of the parliament building to submit a petition.
It is not clear, however, that the newspapers will carry out their threat. Radio Dabanga has learnt that censors are pressuring the papers to reverse the decision to strike. Abdullah Al-Sheikh, the editor-in-chief of Ajras Al-Hurriya, received a threatening phone call only five minute after a press conference announcing the strike. The director of censorship for the security apparatus told the editor that unless he publishes on Friday, he should prepare for many days without a print-run. In other words, if Ajras Al Hurriya strikes tomorrow, then on the following days the security will heavily censor all of the articles, making it impossible to print a full newspaper.
Photo: Protesters in May 2010 after the arrest of politician Hassan Al Turabi and journalists of Rai Al Shaab, which is affiliated with his party. Pictured at center is the wife of Turabi. Turabi spent a month and a half in detention.
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