Several newspapers in the Sudanese capital Khartoum have been prevented from publishing this week, as security agents press ahead with a crackdown on the media that has been ongoing since early February. On 13 April newspaper editors were informed by telephone that from the following day onwards they would be required to submit a copy of every edition to the premises of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) for approval by security agents prior to publication. (18-APR-08)

Based on a news release from Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), this article has been edited and prepared for publication here by HRH F / Niels Jacob Harbitz.

On 15 April the NISS prevented the publication of three newspapers – Ajras al-Hurriya, al-Ayyam and Rai al-Shaab – that refused to comply with this order. During a meeting organised by the Sudanese Journalists´ Union on 16 April, security agents then backed down on the new requirement to submit copies to the premises of the NISS for approval. Instead, they announced a return to the system that has been in place since 6 February, whereby NISS agents visit newspaper premises in person to carry out their checks. On the same day, Rai al-Shaab and Ajras al-Hurriya were again prevented from publishing, as were al-Sudani and al-Ahdath. Media reports suggest that al-Sudani was also prevented from publishing on the following day, and that the English-language The Citizen was prevented from publishing on both 16 and 17 April.

Besides pre-print censorship by security agents, the crackdown on the Sudanese media that has been ongoing since early February has also included arrests of journalists, intimidation and bureaucratic obstruction.[1] Rai al-Shaab was prevented from publishing once before in April, and the weekly al-Midan was also prevented from publishing on 1 April and had to delay its 8 April edition due to censorship. Besides limiting freedom of expression in the immediate short term, preventing newspapers from publishing in this way also damages them financially by denying them revenues from sales and advertising. This financial damage is exacerbated by the fact that the blocking of a particular edition often occurs after the edition in question has been printed, with all of the costs that entails. Opposition media outlets in Sudan face financial pressures anyway, with advertising revenues from government ministries, state-owned and partly state-owned companies, and companies owned by supporters of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) flowing to pro-NCP publications.

Pre-print censorship was previously imposed by the Sudanese authorities for around three weeks in August 2005 and for around two weeks in September 2006. But the latest attack on media freedoms is the toughest of its kind since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005 and the implementation of the new Interim National Constitution in July of that year, which explicitly guarantees freedom of the press and other media (Article 39). Similar guarantees are built into international agreements that Sudan is party to, including the African Charter on Human and People´s Rights (Article 9) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 19).

The current restrictions on the media are of particular concern given that Sudan is currently at a crucial stage in the roadmap for democratisation laid out by the CPA. A countrywide census scheduled to begin on 22 April should pave the way for national elections in 2009. The media has a vital role to play in monitoring and publicising any abuses of this process.

The Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT) condemns the ongoing restrictions on the media and calls upon the Sudanese authorities to:

-Immediately cease all forms of pre- and post-print censorship and take all necessary steps to guarantee the independence of the media
-Fully respect freedom of expression in accordance with Sudan´s Interim National Constitution and international human rights standards
-Expedite the introduction of new media laws that conform with international human rights standards and Sudan´s constitutional obligations
-Expedite reforms to bring all legislation, including the National Security Forces Act, into line with international human rights standards and Sudan´s constitutional obligations.

The above recommendations should be sent in appeals to the following addresses:

His Excellency President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir,
Office of the President,
People´s Palace,
PO Box 281,
Khartoum, Sudan,

His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit,
First Vice-President,
People´s Palace,
PO Box 281,
Khartoum, Sudan,

His Excellency Ali Osman Mohamed Taha,
Vice-President,
People´s Palace,
PO Box 281,
Khartoum, Sudan,

Mr Abdel Bassit Sabdarat,
Minister of Justice,
Ministry of Justice,
PO Box 302,
Khartoum, Sudan

Mr Deng Alor,
Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs/External Relations,
PO Box 873,
Khartoum, Sudan,

Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Hamed,
Minister of Internal Affairs,
Ministry of Interior,
PO Box 873,
Khartoum, Sudan,

Dr Abdelmuneim Osman Mohamed Taha,
Advisory Council for Human Rights, Rapporteur,
PO Box 302,
Khartoum, Sudan,
Fax: +249 183 77 08 83

Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sudan to the United Nations in Geneva,
Avenue Blanc 47,
1202 Geneva, Switzerland,
Tel: +41 22 731 26 63,
Fax: +41 22 731 26 56,
Email: mission.sudan@bluewin.ch / mission.sudan@ties.itu.int

The Embassy of Sudan in Brussels,
Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 124,
1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Tel.:0032 (2) 647 51 59 / 0032 (2) 647 94 94,
Fax: 0032 (2) 648 34 99,
Email: sudanbx@yahoo.com

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the title and date of this SOAT publication in your reply. For more information please contact:
Sudan Organisation Against Torture
Argo House
Kilburn Park Road
London
NW6 5LF
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7625 8055
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7372 2656
Email: info@soatsudan.org
Website: www.soatsudan.org

[1] For more information about the latest wave of censorship, see previous SOAT publications entitled “New Crackdown Illustrates Fragility of Media Freedoms in Sudan”, 28 February 2008, and “Ongoing Censorship Disrupts Printing and Distribution of al-Midan Newspaper”, 6 March 2008. To obtain these documents go to the SOAT website or email info@soatsudan.org