Sudan: Eleven journalists detained

IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ALERT - SUDAN

27 May 2004

Eleven journalists detained

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the harassment by the authorities,
particularly by the security forces, of journalists who are taking a stand
for press freedom. The organisation also protested the arrest of six
journalists from the daily "Al-Azmina" over a damning report on Sudan's
financial and economical situation.

"The journalists have tried to resist official pressure and stand up for
freedom of information by creating a committee to defend press freedom and
by submitting objections to a new press law that was submitted to Parliament
by the president of Sudan for ratification," RSF said.

"The security forces' reaction is to use absurd measures to try to stifle
this resistance movement. At the same time, after preventing the press from
reporting on the events in Darfur, the government is now attacking those who
dare to publish a report on the country's disastrous economy," the
organisation added.

On 15 and 16 May 2004, national security forces arrested Mahgub Mohamed
Salih, editor-in-chief of the daily "Al-Ayam", Zohair Al-Sarrag, a columnist
with the daily "Al-Sahafa", Mahgub Orwa, editor-in-chief of the suspended
daily "Al-Sudani", Mohamed Latif Ali, a columnist with "Al-Ray Alaam", and
Ahamed Sir-Alkhatim, a journalist with the daily "Akbar Al-Youm", for
several hours. Salih is also chairperson of a press freedom defence
committee that was set up on 4 May. The other arrested journalists are also
members of the committee.

The arrests were designed to prevent the journalists from submitting a
statement opposing the new press law to Parliament and President Omar
el-Beshir. The statement was signed by 210 journalists. While the arrested
journalists were in detention, six other members of the committee managed to
submit their written objections to Parliament and the communications
minister. Before releasing the five detained journalists, the security
forces barred them from using the name of the committee and banned the
newly-launched organisation. Newspaper editors were also prevented from
publishing reports in the name of the committee.

In a separate incident, on 23 May, the general manager of the daily
"Al-Azmina", Jamal Anqara, managing editor Omar Ismaïl and four other
journalists with the paper - Osman Hamid, Haider Abdelhafeez, Kamal Awad and
Asim Mohieldin - were summoned by the security forces and arrested after the
paper carried an article about the collapse of the Sudanese economy. The
"Al-Azmina" journalists were interrogated and detained for over 30 hours
before being released on bail late on 24 May. They were ordered to report to
the prosecutor responsible for crimes against the state on 27 May, for
further investigations.

For further information, contact Agnès Devictor at RSF, 5, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.rsf.org

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of RSF.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF.
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