(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned the recent closure of the newspaper “Al-Azminah” and the continued harassment of the independent daily “Alwan” by the state prosecutor in charge of subversion cases. “We call on the authorities to respect the presidential decree giving the National Press Council the responsibility to oversee press matters, rather than the subversion […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned the recent closure of the newspaper “Al-Azminah” and the continued harassment of the independent daily “Alwan” by the state prosecutor in charge of subversion cases.
“We call on the authorities to respect the presidential decree giving the National Press Council the responsibility to oversee press matters, rather than the subversion prosecutor, who continues to shut down newspapers,” said Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general. “The prosecutor, Mohamed Farid Hassan, is defying the Ministry of Justice,” he added.
On 30 September 2003, Hassan suspended “Al-Azminah” indefinitely following a complaint against the daily by the army. The prosecutor has close ties to the intelligence services, whose authority over the press was ended by a 12 August decree that reaffirmed press freedom and transferred media monitoring to the National Press Council. The intelligence services continue to resist the order.
The army accused “Al-Azminah” of publishing an “inaccurate” report saying pro-government militias had been disbanded after the 25 September signing of a peace agreement with rebels of the southern-based Sudan People’s Liberation Army.
The agreement is aimed at ending the 20-year civil war in the country. It provides for the withdrawal of government troops from the south of the country within six years and the creation of new military units made up of soldiers from both sides. The army is very sensitive about these matters.
Prosecutor Hassan said “Al-Azminah” continued to publish false news with the aim of undermining the peace agreement. The paper was suspended under Article 130 (paragraphs 1 and 3) of the 1991 code of legal procedure, which allows for the suspension of publications pending completion of legal investigations.
“Alwan” was similarly suspended on 2 September pending examination of a complaint against the daily by the National Security Agency for “inciting sedition”. The Justice Ministry gave the paper permission to reappear on 24 September, but Prosecutor Hassan banned it again two days later.
In addition, the daily “Al-Sahafa” was suspended by the National Press Council for three days under the press law, as of 1 October, for printing an advertisement by Ethiopian Airlines praising the quality of the wines on its Khartoum to Paris flights. Alcohol has been banned in Sudan since 1983.
