Cairo – May 21st, 2012

ANHRI denounces the confiscation of the Sudanese newspapers al-Jareda newspaper for five times in a row and al-Midan for the eighth time in the one month of May. Many Sudanese journalists are prosecuted and cracked down for criticizing the Sudanese government, the last one of them being the columnist Faisal Mohamed Saleh for criticizing the performance of al-Bashir’s government on Aljazeera TV channel.

The Sudanese authorities are follwoing a systematic approach of confiscation in an attempt to consume the newspapers financially, forcing them to close. This prompted the Journalists Union and defenders of the freedom of the press to organize a protest on May 19th in front of the National Press and Publications Council to denounce the restrictions of the police on press freedoms in Sudan and journalists’ prosecution.

“Confiscation of newspapers and restrictions on all dessidents of the government of President al-Bashir are recurrent. The country that is heading quickly to be on the top of the list of the Arab repressive countries. The government’s hostility towards journalists reached the extent of raising the prices of the printing tools and paper in Sudan, as part of their clampdown on press freedom and freedom of expression,” said ANHRI.

ANHRI calls the Sudanese authorities to respect international humanitarian norms and conventions, immediately stop the clampdown on the Sudanese press and journalists, and to reconsider their radical attitude towards freedoms of opinion and expression.

More information about the erosion of freedom of expression in Sudan:

http://www.anhri.net/?cat=16