Sudan authorities release El Tayyar editor Osman Mirghani

On Friday, Sudanese authorities released Osman Mirghani, editor-in-chief of El Tayyar daily newspaper. Mirghani was detained on 22 February, accused of supporting the ongoing anti-government protests that erupted in December 2018.

Mirghani’s arrest followed his comments in an interview with Sky News Arabia TV, asserting that President Al Bashir’s decision to impose a national State of Emergency in Sudan did not resolve the political crisis. He also discussed the ongoing protests in Sudan and said they could prompt Al Bashir’s removal from office.

The Sudanese Journalists Network confirmed his release in a statement on Friday. Speaking to Al Jazeera TV after his release, Mirghani said he was not charged or interrogated by the security apparatus during his five weeks in detention.

Mirghani’s detention has attracted widespread condemnation from within Sudan and abroad. On 25 March, the Sudanese Journalists Network, which is a member of the Sudanese Professionals Association, the coordinator of the anti-government protests, organised a march in Khartoum downtown calling for Mirghani’s release.

Also, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday has asked the United Nations to intercede to obtain the release of the prominent Sudanese journalist.

The Sudanese Journalists’ Network said in a statement last month that “more than 90 journalists have been detained since the popular demonstrations erupted in mid-December last year”. Ten journalists have been prosecuted in the Emergency Courts that have been established under the State of Emergency in Sudan.