Sudan journalists call for removal of ‘figures of the old regime’ from media institutions

On Monday, the Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) organised a protest against affiliates of the former regime in the institutions of the Ministry of Culture and Information. The slogan of the administration was “Freedom of Information”.

The demonstrators rallied in front of the Ministry of Culture and Information demanding the purging of press and media institutions of members of the former regime.

The protesters demanded freedom of the press. They chanted “New media in a new era”, “A free press or no press”.

They handed over a memorandum to the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Information El Rashid Saeed, calling for urgent decisions to form a fact-finding committee to review the properties and assets of media institutions. The committee must include the Commercial Registrar, the Attorney General, the Auditor General, the Ministry of Justice and some journalists.

The committee should cooperate with the Ministry of Culture and Information concerning the establishment of media institutions and sources of funding. Media institutions belonging to members of the military and security apparatus should be suspended. The national media institutions are to be restructured so that they can reflect the Sudanese diversity and values.

The memorandum further called for a media conference on the development of a media strategy for the coming 50 years.

Complex situation

Undersecretary Saeed acknowledged the slow implementation of the demands of the revolution. However, he attributed the delay to the complexity of the situation. He advised the formation of a joint committee of the ministry and the SJN to follow up on the implementation. He further appreciated the demonstration and its demands because it can reinforce the implementation of the decision.

“We will not allow the media to work against the revolution or accept the media to play the same role of the former regime”, he added.

Spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), Ismail El Taj, announced their support for the demands of liberating the media from the remnants of the dissolved regime. “We will not allow them to undermine the revolution and its objectives which are freedom, peace and justice”, he said.

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