JournalismPakistan.com | Published March 31, 2018
Join our WhatsApp channel
NEW YORK - Sudanese authorities should stop harassing journalists and allow them to report on matters of public interest without fear of government reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
The Press and Publications Court sentenced two journalists for "false news" on March 22 and two on defamation charges in a separate trial on March 15, according to the Sudanese Journalist Network and news reports.
"Instead of dialing back their campaign against independent reporting, Sudanese authorities are casting around for new instruments to wield against the press, including 'false news' charges," CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said from Washington D.C. "Sudanese authorities must stop manufacturing excuses to silence actual news reporting."
CPJ did not immediately receive a response from the Sudanese Embassy in Washington D.C. or the Sudanese Justice Ministry in Khartoum to emailed requests for comment.
On March 22, the court sentenced Zeinelabdin Mohamed Ali, the editor-in-chief of the privately owned daily al-Mustagila, and Rida Baou, the paper's news department head, to either pay a fine of 15,000 Sudanese pounds (US$825) or serve one month in prison for "false news," according to the independent news website AllAfrica and the Sudanese Journalists Network. The charges relate to a critical article Ali and Baou published in 2015 about Sudan's water supply, AllAfrica reported.
According to the Khartoum-based freelance journalist Abdelgadir Mohammed Abdelgadir, authorities began prosecuting Ali and Baou in 2016. Abdelgadir told CPJ that al-Mustagila shuttered in 2017 for financial reasons.
At the sentencing, Ali told the court that both journalists would go to jail rather than pay the fine; authorities transferred Ali and Baou to prison that day, according to al-Sudan al-Youm and the Sudan Tribune. Baou has since been released while Ali is still in jail, Abdelgadir told CPJ. He said it was not immediately clear why only Baou was released, or if either journalist was planning to appeal the sentence.
Separately, the same court on March 15 sentenced Ashraf Abdelaziz, editor-in-chief of the privately owned daily al-Jarida, and Hassan Warrag, a reporter at the paper, to either pay a fine of 17,000 Sudanese pounds (US$936) or spend a month in prison, according to the independent broadcaster Radio Dabanga and the Sudanese Journalists Network.
The court found the journalists guilty of defamation relating to an article al-Jarida published alleging corrupt practices in a local land deal, according to the reports. According to Abdelgadir, the column was printed in 2015.
Both journalists went to jail rather than pay the fine. Authorities released Abdelaziz and Warrag after they spent five days in Omdurman Prison near Khartoum when a public campaign raised money to pay the fine on their behalf, Warrag wrote in an op-ed for the Sudan Times after his release.
A lawyer for the journalists, Ahmad El Shukri, told Radio Dabanga that they will both appeal their convictions.
The sentences come as Sudanese authorities finalize a new law regulating the press, which Abdelgadir told CPJ will allow the government to increase control over online media.
Sudanese authorities have been cracking down on critical media since the beginning of the year, making multiple arrests and seizing newspapers before they can be distributed, according to CPJ research. - A CPJ news alert
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.