More journalists summoned by Sudan security services

Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in the capital Khartoum summoned the editor of El Baj News website, Lina Yagoub, confiscated her phone and personal computer, and interrogated her for 12 hours about her sources last week.

The security apparatus released her and asked her to return on Sunday. The NISS also summoned Maha El Tilib and interrogated the correspondent of El Tayyar daily newspaper in El Gedaref, Ammar El Daw last week.

The journalists’ network has condemned the continued confiscation of newspapers, investigations and frequent summonses of journalists to the security offices in publishing issues.

In a statement yesterday, it announced its solidarity with Yaqoub, El tilib, and El Daw..

The network also has strongly condemned the threat to kill the correspondent of El Sudani newspaper Abdelgadir Bakash by one of the leaders of the National Congress Party of the Red Sea state named Hatim El Tayeb, for criticising administrative appointments in the state.

The network announced its confrontation of these practices and its unequivocal support for Bakash.

Press curbs

In June, journalists decried the draft Press and Publications Act approved by the cabinet. It provides for the suspension of journalists from writing and the expansion of powers of the Press and Publications Council.

In August, the distribution of El Jareeda newspaper was purposely delayed by the NISS for six days in a row because of its critical content. It was the third time El Jareeda suffered from press curbs by the Sudanese security service in two weeks’ time: it blocked the newspaper from reaching the distribution outlets in Khartoum and the states.

Agreement

In a meeting between newspapers and the head of the Sudanese security apparatus in August, they agreed to form a committee to deliberate on the so-called red lines for Sudanese media. New confiscations of newspapers were temporarily suspended.

Media in Sudan are constantly subjected to attacks on press freedom. The country is ranked at the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index by the global monitoring organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF).