Print runs of seven newspapers confiscated this week in Sudan

The National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) confiscated the print runs of seven Sudanese newspapers on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. El Hurra, the economic newspaper Elaph, and the English daily The Citizen were confiscated this morning, immediately after the copies were printed in Khartoum. El Jareeda, Akhir Lahza, and El Sudani were confiscated on Tuesday morning. The day before, the print run of El Sudani was also confiscated, together with all the copies of El Hurra and El Ahram.The NISS on Monday also blocked El Jareeda columnist Haidar Kheirallah from writing for an indefinite period. A reason was not given. The journalists of the human rights group Speak Out, and the Sudanese Organisation for the Defence of Rights and Freedoms, strongly condemned the confiscation of the newspapers on Monday and Tuesday. “The Sudanese press is subjected to a fierce repression by a wide range of interventions by the security apparatus,” the Organisation’s chairman, Dr Faroug Mohamed Ibrahim, reiterated to Radio Dabanga. “President Al Bashir, in his speech to the people of Sudan on 27 January, proposed a national dialogue with the political forces and civil society organisations, but the requirements for this dialogue are far from available, in particular freedom of expression.” File photo Related:Newspaper confiscated by Sudan security; draft new press law ‘catastrophic’ (26 February 2014)Print runs of three Sudanese newspapers confiscated (4 February 2014)Al Bashir speech disappoints Sudanese (28 January 2014)