Sudan / Middle East & North Africa

  

Sudanese military forces arrest state television manager, pro-military protesters assault journalists amid unrest

New York, October 26, 2021 – Sudanese military authorities must immediately release journalist Maher Abugoukh, cease raiding media outlets, investigate pro-military protesters’ attacks on journalists, and ensure that telecommunications function in the wake of yesterday’s military coup in which military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan deposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and dissolved the government, the Committee to…

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CPJ calls on Sudanese military to respect press freedom and journalists’ safety as coup unfolds

New York, October 25, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is watching the press freedom environment in Sudan with grave concern as it works to get independent confirmation of news reports of military raids on media outlets and internet and telecommunications outages after the country’s military seized power in a coup earlier today. The…

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Sudanese authorities block news websites, briefly detain Al-Jazeera reporter covering protests

New York, July 7, 2021 – Sudanese authorities should immediately allow access to all news websites in the country, and stop harassing and intimidating journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Starting June 30, authorities blocked dozens of news and other websites in response to anti-government protests that began the previous day, according to…

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Ten years after the Arab Spring, the region’s media faces grave threats. Here are the top press freedom trends

In early February 2011, Alaa Abdelfattah was in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, documenting and participating in the nascent pro-democracy uprising that would topple the government and transform the country and the region. Today, he is in prison on anti-state and false news charges, which his family believes are partly retaliatory for his work. Abdelfattah is one of…

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A man in military uniform and a coronavirus mask seated in an elaborate chair leans over to talk with a man in a suit and a coronavirus mask in the neighboring chair.

Sudan tightens cybercrime law as army pursues “fake news”

Dura Qambo was on vacation in Egypt in July when a friend called to warn her to stop criticizing the Sudanese army online, she told CPJ. Earlier that day, the army had announced on Facebook that it had appointed a Special Commissioner in May to sue anyone who insults or defames the military on the…

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Sudanese authorities in North Darfur state harass 2 journalists reporting on COVID-19

Between May 29 and May 31, 2020, local authorities harassed journalists Aida Abdel Qadir and Lena Sabeel in the Sudanese state of North Darfur as they were reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the independent outlet Radio Dabanga and a representative of the independent Sudanese Journalists Network, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app….

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Sudanese protesters wait at a railway station in Khartoum on December 19, 2019 ahead of celebrations of the one-year anniversary of a protest movement that ousted the president. The transitional government in January suspended four news outlets over alleged links to the previous regime. (AFP/Ashraf Shazly)

Sudan suspends four news outlets over alleged financial link to Bashir regime

New York, January 13, 2020—Sudanese authorities should end their suspension of the newspapers El Ray El Aam and El Sudani and the TV channels Ashorooq and Teiba, and work toward institutionalizing press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Sudanese authorities suspended the four news outlets as part of a wider effort to seize…

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Sudanese protesters wave the national flag during a demonstration in the capital Khartoum on August 1, 2019. On July 24, authorities detained Al-Sayha newspaper editor-in-chief and journalists’ union head Sadiq al-Rizaigi. (AFP/Ashraf Shazly)

Sudan detains Sadiq al-Rizaigi, Al-Sayha editor-in-chief and journalists’ union head, for 5 days

Sudanese authorities detained Sadiq al-Rizaigi, the editor-in-chief of privately owned newspaper Al-Sayha and head of the Sudanese Journalists’ Union, on July 24, 2019, according to AFP and Sudanese broadcaster Radio Dabanga. He was held without charge until he was released on July 29, according to the Sudan Tribune and the Sudanese Journalists’ Union.

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Sudanese protesters are seen with their smartphones in Khartoum on April 21, 2019. CPJ has called on South African telecommunications company MTN Group to end its role in Sudan's internet shutdowns. (AFP/Ozan Kose)

CPJ joins letter urging MTN Group to end participation in internet shutdowns in Sudan

The Committee to Protect Journalists yesterday joined 22 other organizations in signing a joint letter to executives at South African telecommunications company MTN Group, calling on them to end their roles in Sudan’s internet shutdowns.

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Sudanese wave flags and chant slogans as they gather outside the army headquarters in Khartoum on May 30. Sudan's military rulers have ordered Al-Jazeera's Khartoum bureau to be shut down. (AFP/Ashraf Shazly)

Sudan’s military rulers shut down Al-Jazeera Khartoum bureau

Washington, D.C., May 31, 2019–Sudan’s military rulers yesterday ordered the Khartoum bureau of Al-Jazeera to be shut down and banned its staff from working in the country, the Qatari-broadcaster said today. Forces yesterday raided the outlet without providing a reason and confiscated work permits for staff and broadcasting equipment, Hassan Saeed Elmogummer Taha, an Al-Jazeera…

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