Sudanese Journalists Network condemns press curbs

The Sudanese security authorities reportedly prohibited the publication of Eltaghyeer newspaper for three consecutive days last week and confiscated all copies of Elakhbar daily newspaper on Friday. The Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) on Sunday issued a statement in which it condemned the “continuing violations of press freedom” by the security forces. It expressed its serious concern with “the security authorities’ systematic destruction of the Sudanese press through confiscations and censorship”.  SJN notes that “this behaviour by the security authorities” has shaken the confidence of the people in the Sudanese press, since they have prevented the media from publishing any information about the recent protests and the killings of demonstrators by the security forces. The network also condemned “the repeated security apparatus’ summons of reporters and journalists in order to intimidate them and prevent them from performing their duty, in a clear violation of freedom of expression and publication,” and called upon all Sudanese journalists to defend the press freedom in the country. The Sudanese Organisation for the Defence of Rights and Freedoms considers the confiscation of the newspapers “an escalation of violations on the freedom of expression and press freedom”. File photo Related:Security prevents Sudanese journalists from attending press freedom seminar (7 October 2013)Mass arrests, newspaper confiscations continue in Sudan (6 October 2013)Sudan’s Security Services order press to ‘cooperate or shut down’ (25 September 2013)