STATEMENT BY THE AFRICAN EDITORS FORUM ON MEDIA REPRESSION IN SUDAN
This week, the repression of media in Sudan reached its climax with the arrest of 63 journalists from thirteen newspaper who were protesting against lack of freedom for media under the government of President Omar Al Bashir.
As a result 11 newspaper suspended publication for one day in solidarity with the detained journalists.
The arrests followed two weeks of hunger strike by journalists and editors protesting against heightened repression of media, leaving many publications unable to appear in the streets of Kharthoum.
These incidents of repression include:
- The turning of what was supposed to be a defender of media freedom, the National Press Council and Publication Commission, into an arm and agent of the security establishment in oppressing the media.
- Arrests, intimidation, confiscation of news gathering equipment and even confiscation and burning of publications destined for circulation over the past six months. At times we are not even allowed to take pictures of the President himself.
- Journalists are only allowed to take pictures of President al Bashir, while in general they are only allowed to take pictures during public holidays and not any other times. They are not allowed even to carry a camera or even a tape recorder in public, one cannot even take photos of accident scenes without permission from relevant authorities.
- Halting of publications by a number of newspapers as the Intelligence Service personnel raid them and also confiscate newspapers. These intelligence operatives have also demanded that all articles be scrutinized and approved by themselves before being published. Some editors have opted to instead not publish rather than submit to censorship.
This week, in the twin city of Kharthoum known as Omdurman , a group of journalists led by Sudanese Journalists Network (SJNet),were protesting outside Parliament when trucks of police and soldiers rounded them up and arrested them. Some, including women, were molested, others physically assaulted and they are up to now still nursing serious bruises. But even this relative freedom from police cells amounts to nothing as each one of them is tailed by intelligence operatives.
The government of President Al Bashir, faced with an election next year, is seemingly feeling that the media is exposing too much corruption in government to the public, a situation that they apparently believe could impact negatively on them come next year's elections and referendum.
President al Bashir is already being sought for crimes against humanity and the country is already a pariah amongst nations for its alleged support for the janjaweed militia in Darfur whose attacks on civilians has seen thousands killed and many more uprooted.
But it is a member of the African Union and a signatory to its charter and protocols that guarantee the people of Sudan a free media to inform and educate them. The oppression of media in Sudan is in violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and interim constitution, which included the Bill of Rights.
The AU provisions include:
- To promote democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance;
- To promote and protect human and peoples' rights in accordance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other relevant human rights instruments;
- In addition to the AU provisions, Sudan should establish the Human Rights Commission in compliance with the Paris principles agreed to by the government and as it is articulated in the Sudanese Constitution and CPA.
What the government of Sudan is doing is flouting these protocols that it has committed itself to and we call on the government to desist from further actions against the media, and to engage with the media in ensuring good relations and a free flow of information to the Sudanese people.
TAEF also calls on the AU Commission on Human and People's Rights presently meeting in Nigeria, and in particular the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Advocate Pansy Tlakula, to immediately condemn the barbaric actions of the Sudanese government and take appropriate steps to end the harassment of the media.
TAEF will be approaching the Sudanese government for an urgent meeting to discuss this issue
Mathatha Tsedu
Président TAEF
+27824540527…
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