Two journalists under death penalty threat in Sudan’s capital

Sudanese authorities accused two journalists of undermining the Constitution, a charge punishable by death. The two journalists from Port Sudan made their first court appearance Thursday.The charges came after the journalists published a newspaper article earlier this month that suggested that poor living conditions in eastern Sudan could spur the region to separate from the rest of the country. The accused journalists are Mohammedein Kazim, editor of the weekly Barut published in Port Sudan, and Abdel Gader Bakash, the author of the controvertial article.

Sudanese journalists responded critically to the news of their arrest. They said that a trial would be a violation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which guarantee freedom of opinion and expression. The journalist Faisal Mohamed Saleh told Radio Dabanga that the trial is an attempt by the government to supress freedoms and terrorize journalists. He was speaking from Khartoum.