Sudanese Journalists for Human Rights criticise draft amendments to Press and Publications Act

The founder and coordinator of Sudanese Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), harshly criticised the new amendments in the draft Press and Publications Act discussed by the Cabinet at its meeting on Thursday.

Feisal El Bagir said in an interview with Radio Dabanga that “the amendments aim to impose further restrictions on press freedom”.

He explained that the authorities have violated the freedom of press and expression through a package of acts such as that of the national security apparatus, informatics and press and publications.

El Bagir accused the security apparatus of using the judiciary as a means of violating the press through malicious rulings.

He pointed to the trial of the editor-in-chief Osman Mirghani to imprisonment or fine for a case dating back to 2012.

‘Security apparatus disregards the judiciary’

El Bagir said that “the security apparatus disregards the judiciary to continue more repressive measures.” He appealed to the press and civil society to continue efforts to repeal these laws.

Yesterday the Cabinet headed by Bakri Hasan Saleh discussed at its meeting the draft amendments for the Press and Publications Act.

Cabinet

Dr Omar Mohamed Saleh, the spokesman for the Cabinet, said the amendments proposed in the draft act were based on the harmonisation of the elements of protecting the freedom of press expression and the professional and legal controls that prevent the practice from sliding into chaos.

He said that the article dealing with freedom of press and journalists was amended and replaced by a new article that guarantees journalists the freedom of expression, thought, knowledge, communication and access to information according to the constitution and the law.

The Cabinet instructed the extension of the dialogue on the draft act to be submitted it to the Cabinet a month later.