The Sudanese authorities must halt the ongoing harassment of independent media, Amnesty International said after a prominent journalist was re-arrested and copies of a national newspaper seized in Khartoum on Tuesday.
Faisal Mohammed Saleh, a columnist with several national newspapers who has reported in 2011 on the alleged rape of an activist by National Security Service (NSS) agents, is currently being held by the NSS.
Meanwhile copies of national newspaper al-Midan were confiscated at the printing press today for the fifth time in five weeks, putting the publication’s financial future in jeopardy.
“The Sudanese government is continuing its relentless harassment of journalists and editors who dare to do their job,” said Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, Amnesty International’s Sudan researcher.
“The authorities are deploying a wide array of coercive measures against individuals and media organizations to discourage or prevent independent reporting and critical comment.”