Sudan: Publisher stops press to protest censorship

The publisher of an independent Sudanese newspaper has withheld an edition of the paper to protest censorship. National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) raided the offices of independent newspaper Al-Jaridah on Sunday, seizing all copies of the first edition of the paper since it was forced to close in 2011. Before the closure, the government had warned the publisher against columns by journalists who previously worked with Ahjras Al Hurriya, another independent newspaper that was banned. As a result of the confiscation, the newspaper’s publisher withheld the Monday edition of the paper in protest against the censorship.

Sudan: Copies of newspapers confiscated

Between 20 and 23 August, Al-Jaridah, a Khartoum-based Arabic daily newspaper, had issues confiscated by members of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS). According to a press release, no official reason was given for the suspension. However, editor-in-chief Saad Al-Din Ibrahim believes that the paper was suspended because of their refusal to comply with the NISS’s persistence in interfering with the paper’s editorial and recruitment policy. Recently, officials have confiscated a number of publications without explanation, are currently revising Sudan’s press and publications law, and are considering pre-publication censorship.