WUNRN
Freedom of Expression & Association Under Attack in Sudan – Amnesty International – April 2, 2015
http://www.aawsat.net/2015/05/article55343682/opinion-the-losing-equation-for-sudan - May 28, 2015
Sudanese
security apparatus cracked down on 10 newspapers, banning the distribution of
some and suspending four others “until further notice.” The decision, as was
expected, caused great uproar.. Many people do not want to believe that the
decision was prompted by the government’s anger over reports of children being
harassed on school buses, or remarks on violence against Sudanese women made by
the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, who recently made an
Official Visit to Sudan and called for the formation of a UN Commission to
investigate claims of alleged mass rapes in the aftermath of a military
campaign in Darfur.
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Sudan - Journalists on Strike over Press
Restrictions
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http://www.dw.de/sudan-government-cracks-down-on-newspapers-over-rape-story/a-18475458
SUDAN GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN ON NEWSPAPERS OVER STORY OF ALLEGED
RAPES, “The Sexual Abuse of School- and Nursery-Children on the Buses that
Transport Them”
Sudanese
security forces have confiscated the print runs of ten newspapers, and
suspended licenses of four others, editors and NGO's have said. Authorities
reportedly mounted the move in response to a rape story.
Employees of
the newspapers told Reuters news agency that security forces had entered the
newspapers' printing presses and confiscated the entire print runs late Sunday
night and early Monday morning.
After
seizing the daily circulation of ten media outlets, National Intelligence and
Security Service (NISS) officers called the editors of four additional papers
to tell them that their licenses had been suspended, according to Al-Bagir
Ahmed Abdallah, chief editor of Sudanese daily al-Khartoum.
Abdallah was
told his paper had been suspended over an article concerning a consumer rights
forum. In the article, one speaker discussed "the sexual abuse of school-
and nursery-children on the buses that transport them," he said, adding
that the decision to seize the papers had come from the head of NISS.
The
newspapers were planning to run articles based on the activist's Sunday speech,
specifically his claims that rape and sexual harassment in such instances were
common.
A source
inside NISS told Reuters that the seizures were related to the story.
"Today
we disrupted the distribution of ten newspapers ... for having yesterday
published irresponsibly on the subjects of crimes of harassment and rape,"
the unnamed source told Reuters.
He added
that four of the newspapers would be prohibited from publishing for several
more days, and the state may pursue charges against some of the outlets.
President
wanted for genocide
Sudan, which
has been ruled by president Omar al-Bashir
for over 25 years, is known for its poor record on human rights and
press freedom. The media in the country often complain of pressure and
harassment from the security services.
Although
NISS officers often seize newspapers they believe to be inappropriate,
crackdowns on this scale remain rare. The last such incident occurred in
February, some two months before al-Bashir allegedly won
over 94 percent of the vote in a controversial election. On that
occasion, NISS seized the print runs of 14 papers.
Security
services have additionally increased pressure on media and political freedoms
after the election, analysts say.
The 71-year
old Sudanese strongman is facing international arrest warrants for war crimes
in the Darfur region, including genocide.
Media union
pushing for review
The General
Journalists' Union criticized the seizure in a statement, "pointing to
their negative impact on the situation of press freedoms in Sudan".
The Union
said it would raise the confiscations with the presidency, information ministry
and NISS, urging officials to "review what has happened and to put an end
to these extraordinary measures."
http://www.aawsat.net/2015/05/article55343682/opinion-the-losing-equation-for-sudan
SUDANESE PEOPLE CONCERNED
ABOUT INCREASING LIMITS ON PRESS FREEDOM, RIGHTS
Next
week, Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir will be inaugurated for a new term in
office after lukewarm elections that failed to attract public attention or
secure a high turnout of voters who preferred to stay at home knowing that the
result was a forgone conclusion. The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) is
preparing itself to celebrate the occasion, which will supposedly extend
Bashir’s 26-year rule by another five years. But the Sudanese people have no
reason to celebrate, as their circumstances continue to worsen and deteriorate
to the extent that “Katamat,” a word in colloquial Sudanese which means
“choking,” has become the most common way to describe the current situation in
the country.
The
most telling example of the country’s festering situation came last Monday when
the Sudanese security apparatus cracked down on 10 newspapers, banning the
distribution of some and suspending four others “until further notice.” The
decision, as was expected, caused great uproar, giving rise to a flurry of
speculation as to what really caused what has been described among the Sudanese
as a new massacre of the press. Many people do not want to believe that the
decision was prompted by the government’s anger over reports of children being
harassed on school buses, or remarks on violence against Sudanese women made by
the UN Special Rapporteur, who called for the formation of a UN commission to
investigate claims of alleged mass rapes in the aftermath of a military
campaign in Darfur. The reason behind the public’s suspicion is that this
is not the first time such issues have been broached in Sudan.
Newspapers
there used to constantly report on crimes, including the harassment of
children, among other problems that have long afflicted Sudanese society and
gnawed away at its values as circumstances deteriorated and corruption spread.
The other thing is that people no longer believe what the government says and
always look for hidden reasons, convinced that there is always something the
authorities are trying to conceal from them.
The
rule of thumb here is that any attempts to block news always backfire,
particularly in the age of “citizen journalism” and social media where
government control is absent. The incident did not limit news coverage but
instead intensified the debate in Sudan. It also shed light on the situation of
the press in the country and how government domination has stopped the media
from safeguarding social security and enlightening the public. The irony is
that the government crackdown on the media has reached an extent where it is no
longer capable of tolerating its own newspapers, let alone independent
journalists or members of the opposition. This indicates its increasing frailty
and growing isolation.
Some
think that the government is trying to subjugate newspapers by punishing them
financially, whether by banning them from being distributed or scaring away
advertisers. This method may prove to be bruising to newspapers given the
declining distribution figures and advertisement rates as reading habits shift.
But it is also damaging to the government. Any article that leads to the
confiscation of a newspaper receives wider public attention. And punishments
against the media widen the gap between the government and journalists, rubbish
the government’s claims of promoting freedom of speech, and bring more
criticism from Western circles, among whom the government is keen to have
better relations.
The
decision, whether made on some security officials’ initiative or at the behest
of some senior government officials, did not come at the best of times for the
government. The news has dominated the Sudanese scene ahead of preparations for
Bashir’s inauguration. The Sudanese government’s problem is that it has always
relied on tightening its security grip as a means to run the country, a
practice that in the process has widened the gap between Khartoum and the
people. Hence it is unlikely that a true breakthrough will be achieved in the
national dialogue with the opposition. The whole dialogue remains pointless as
long as the government does not intend to use it as a means to expand its ranks
but rather as a pre-emptive tactic to swallow the opposition. The government
security apparatus must be aware of the high levels of public discontent. No
security measures against newspapers will ever change or blot out how the
Sudanese people view the situation in their country.