‘Sudan starts disinformation campaign to prevent reporting on demonstrations’
On Friday, the authorities in Sudan closed the offices of Al Arabiya and have ordered all editors of newspapers only to publish the government statements regarding mass protests in the country. Media are not allowed to publish pictures of the riots and killings of demonstrators, the security ordered. This week the government stopped the entire internet in Khartoum for a day.Due to these censorship the daily newspapers of Al Ayaam, El Gerida. Al Karrar and Al watan have stopped publishing. The security has confiscated Al Sudani newspaper and Al Mahjer. According to the awarded Sudanese journalist, Faisal Mohamed Saleh, the government has started a campaign of disinformation through newspapers, radio and TV.Speaking from Khartoum he says: ¨The media are only allowed to publish the government views. They are not allow to describe the demonstrations, to mention the names of victims and to publish pictures. Most journalists are feeling bad about ity, since what they do has nothing in common with professional journalism and ethics. Only papers like Al Sahafa newspaper have started to follow the instructions of the government, others have stopped. Most column writers have stopped publishing their views”.Faisal Mohamed Saleh told Radio Dabanga further that the Sudanese are now entirely depending on media operating from abroad, like Al Jazeera, Radio Dabanga and others. Faisal Mohammed Saleh was a former editor of a daily newspapers and Teeba Press receiving international awards for courageous journalism. He has been detained for his critical reporting about the government.He says that he can not predict where the demonstrations will lead to: “All options remain possible, whether this will topple the government or whether this government is able to suppress the protests”. He said that the security, after closing the offices of Al Arabiya, has asked their correspondent to come for interrogations. The minister of information filed an official complained against him for ‘exaggerating the numbers of the victims”. File photo: Faisal Mohamed Saleh
On Friday, the authorities in Sudan closed the offices of Al Arabiya and have ordered all editors of newspapers only to publish the government statements regarding mass protests in the country. Media are not allowed to publish pictures of the riots and killings of demonstrators, the security ordered. This week the government stopped the entire internet in Khartoum for a day.
Due to these censorship the daily newspapers of Al Ayaam, El Gerida. Al Karrar and Al watan have stopped publishing. The security has confiscated Al Sudani newspaper and Al Mahjer. According to the awarded Sudanese journalist, Faisal Mohamed Saleh, the government has started a campaign of disinformation through newspapers, radio and TV.
Speaking from Khartoum he says: ¨The media are only allowed to publish the government views. They are not allow to describe the demonstrations, to mention the names of victims and to publish pictures. Most journalists are feeling bad about ity, since what they do has nothing in common with professional journalism and ethics.
Only papers like Al Sahafa newspaper have started to follow the instructions of the government, others have stopped. Most column writers have stopped publishing their views”.
Faisal Mohamed Saleh told Radio Dabanga further that the Sudanese are now entirely depending on media operating from abroad, like Al Jazeera, Radio Dabanga and others. Faisal Mohammed Saleh was a former editor of a daily newspapers and Teeba Press receiving international awards for courageous journalism. He has been detained for his critical reporting about the government.
He says that he can not predict where the demonstrations will lead to: “All options remain possible, whether this will topple the government or whether this government is able to suppress the protests”. He said that the security, after closing the offices of Al Arabiya, has asked their correspondent to come for interrogations. The minister of information filed an official complained against him for ‘exaggerating the numbers of the victims”.
File photo: Faisal Mohamed Saleh
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