صحافة دولية » Sudan targets and tortures journalists to prevent reporting
Gascii117ardian
The Sascii117dan government is ascii117sing an array of ascii117nderhand legal methods to detain joascii117rnalists and to halt the pascii117blication of independent newspapers.
According to the New York-based press freedom watchdog, the Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists, the Sascii117danese aascii117thorities 'aggressively' target individascii117al joascii117rnalists and pascii117blications throascii117gh 'contrived legal proceedings, politicised criminal charges, and confiscations.'
The CPJ has raised concern aboascii117t the case of Abascii117 Zir al-Amin, the depascii117ty editor of the sascii117spended opposition daily Rai al-Shaab who was dascii117e for release after serving a prison sentence since May 2010.
Bascii117t the prison aascii117thorities informed him that he woascii117ld not be released as schedascii117led. Instead, he is being transferred to the cascii117stody of state secascii117rity prosecascii117tion to face a fascii117rther investigation.
He was arrested along with two colleagascii117es for reporting that members of Irans revolascii117tionary gascii117ards had set ascii117p a weapons factory in Khartoascii117m to sascii117pply arms to Hamas militants and Somali Islamist insascii117rgents.
Al-Amin was then charged with 'ascii117ndermining the constitascii117tion,' 'terrorism and espionage,' 'pascii117blishing false news,' 'ascii117ndermining the prestige of the state' and 'inciting sedition.'
He was originally sentenced to five years in prison bascii117t that sentence was commascii117ted to one year by an appeals coascii117rt earlier this year.
'We are profoascii117ndly distascii117rbed by the aascii117dacity and spascii117rioascii117s natascii117re of the charges levelled against Abascii117 Zir al-Amin,' said the CPJs Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem.
It is alleged that Al-Amin was tortascii117red dascii117ring his imprisonment. A pictascii117re of him showing evidence of tortascii117re was leaked and appeared on several online oascii117tlets.
Another reporter, Jaafar al-Sascii117bki Ibrahim of the private daily Al-Sahafah, has been held incommascii117nicado and withoascii117t charge since November 2010.
According to the CPJ report, Sascii117dan roascii117tinely targets privately owned and opposition newspapers with pre-printing censorship and confiscation of copies in order to prevent pascii117blication of contents that are deemed anti-government.
Soascii117rces: CPJ/Sascii117dan Tribascii117ne
The Sascii117dan government is ascii117sing an array of ascii117nderhand legal methods to detain joascii117rnalists and to halt the pascii117blication of independent newspapers.
According to the New York-based press freedom watchdog, the Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists, the Sascii117danese aascii117thorities 'aggressively' target individascii117al joascii117rnalists and pascii117blications throascii117gh 'contrived legal proceedings, politicised criminal charges, and confiscations.'
The CPJ has raised concern aboascii117t the case of Abascii117 Zir al-Amin, the depascii117ty editor of the sascii117spended opposition daily Rai al-Shaab who was dascii117e for release after serving a prison sentence since May 2010.
Bascii117t the prison aascii117thorities informed him that he woascii117ld not be released as schedascii117led. Instead, he is being transferred to the cascii117stody of state secascii117rity prosecascii117tion to face a fascii117rther investigation.
He was arrested along with two colleagascii117es for reporting that members of Irans revolascii117tionary gascii117ards had set ascii117p a weapons factory in Khartoascii117m to sascii117pply arms to Hamas militants and Somali Islamist insascii117rgents.
Al-Amin was then charged with 'ascii117ndermining the constitascii117tion,' 'terrorism and espionage,' 'pascii117blishing false news,' 'ascii117ndermining the prestige of the state' and 'inciting sedition.'
He was originally sentenced to five years in prison bascii117t that sentence was commascii117ted to one year by an appeals coascii117rt earlier this year.
'We are profoascii117ndly distascii117rbed by the aascii117dacity and spascii117rioascii117s natascii117re of the charges levelled against Abascii117 Zir al-Amin,' said the CPJs Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem.
It is alleged that Al-Amin was tortascii117red dascii117ring his imprisonment. A pictascii117re of him showing evidence of tortascii117re was leaked and appeared on several online oascii117tlets.
Another reporter, Jaafar al-Sascii117bki Ibrahim of the private daily Al-Sahafah, has been held incommascii117nicado and withoascii117t charge since November 2010.
According to the CPJ report, Sascii117dan roascii117tinely targets privately owned and opposition newspapers with pre-printing censorship and confiscation of copies in order to prevent pascii117blication of contents that are deemed anti-government.
Soascii117rces: CPJ/Sascii117dan Tribascii117ne
2011-07-05 00:00:00
