28.05.2008 - Source: Amnesty International

Newspapers censored, freedom of expression limited in 2007; journalists forbidden to report on certain events in Darfur, on killings of civilians in demonstrations against Kajbar Dam, on case of arrest of political opponent ("Annual Report 2008") [ID 23359]

"Restrictions on freedom of expression and association continued.

Provisions of the 2004 Press Act were used to censor newspapers and limit freedom of expression.

The government imposed gagging orders including arbitrary prohibitions on reporting criminal cases relating to the Darfur conflict; on investigations into killings of civilians in demonstrations against the Kajbar Dam; and relating to the case of Mubarak al-Fadel al-Mahdi."

Document(s): Open document

05.05.2008 - Source: Freedom House

News media face significant obstacles, but there are numerous newspapers representing different points of views; Internet penetration is among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa; press freedom conditions in the South are better than in the North ("The Worst of the Worst: The World's Most Repressive Societies 2008") [ID 23571]

"The news media face significant obstacles despite some improvements in the years since the signing of the CPA.

Journalists were harassed for their work on several occasions in 2007.

Article 39 of the 2005 interim national constitution recognizes the right to freedom of expression and the media, but the Press and Printed Material Act, passed in 2004, introduced a number of restrictions on journalists.

The National Press Council, dominated by government appointees, licenses newspapers and monitors journalists, and the Ministry of Information tightly controls broadcast media.

While some private radio stations broadcast in Khartoum and in Southern Sudan, the government monitors programming for offending material.

The state-owned Sudan Radio and Television Corporation (SRTC) remains the only television broadcaster.

Private ownership of newspapers is common, however, with numerous dailies and weeklies reflecting different points of view, including opposition publications and outlets with a Southern Sudanese perspective.

Internet penetration in Sudan is among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa but is limited to urban areas. The government has not displayed much interest in censoring this new medium, apart from the blocking of pornographic content.

Political debates online are flourishing on highly popular websites, which are frequented by local users and Sudanese living abroad.

Press freedom conditions in Southern Sudan are better than in areas controlled directly by Khartoum.

Journalists in the south are not as restricted as those in the north and have more leeway to criticize government policies."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Government restricts right to freedom of thought, expression and press, continues to censor print and broadcast media; critics of government and journalists are being harassed, intimidated and arrested ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23056]

"The interim constitution provides for freedom of thought, expression, and of the press "as regulated by law"; however, the government severely restricted these rights in practice.

Despite lifting emergency laws in 2005, the government continued to censor print and broadcast media.

Journalists also practiced self-censorship.

Vocal critics of the government were harassed and arrested during the year, although the government charged such persons with other offenses, such as coup plotting.

[...] A number of independent publications were under intensive scrutiny during the year, and their employees were intimidated and arrested. [...]

The government directly controlled radio and television and required that both reflect government policies.

Television had a permanent military censor to ensure that the news reflected official views.

Some foreign radio broadcasts were available in the country. A private FM radio station continued to operate. Despite the government's license requirement and the high price of satellite dishes, citizens had access to foreign electronic media [...]

Except for Southern Sudan, international media were not allowed to operate freely in the country, and some foreign journalists were denied visas."

Document(s): Open document

07.03.2008 - Source: Reporters Sans Frontières

Privately-owned media subjected to censorship and harassment since start of 2008: Arrests, summonses, threats and outright bans on certain news items reduce space for free expression ("Restoration of censorship condemned as “illegal and saddening”") [ID 22529]

Document(s): Open document

07.03.2008 - Source: Reporters Sans Frontières

Privately-owned media subjected to censorship and harassment since start of 2008: Arrests, summonses, threats and outright bans on certain news items reduce space for free expression ("Restoration of censorship condemned as “illegal and saddening”") [ID 23329]

Document(s): Open document

15.02.2008 - Source: Reporters Sans Frontières

Chad/Sudan: Privately-owned press caught up in a proxy war ("Privately-owned press caught up in a proxy war") [ID 22356]

"Reporters Without Borders has condemned harassment and censorship of the privately-owned press by the governments of Chad and Sudan after rebels which N'Djamena accuses of being in the pay of Khartoum, launched an offensive against the Chadian capital. [...]

...security forces on 14 February blocked publication of the privately-owned opposition daily al-Rai al-Shaab (close to the Popular Congress Party of Hassan al-Turabi), after it referred to the Sudanese government's support for the Chadian rebels who entered N'Djamena.

Police raided the newspaper's printers at dawn and ordered the removal of two articles, before banning the entire print run of the day, according to a staff member on the paper, quoted by the Reuters news agency."

Document(s): Open document

04.02.2008 - Source: Committee to Protect Journalists

Report on press freedom in Sudan in 2007: Restrictions on media, attacks on journalists, harassment and intimidation of journalists, restrictions on reporting on Darfur ("Attacks on the Press in 2007") [ID 22243]

"[...] Despite free speech protections built into Sudan's 2005 interim constitution, authorities operated as if a state of emergency were still in force.

Newspaper suspensions, criminal charges, and detentions were a routine part of working as a journalist in Sudan.

When trying to cover one of the world's biggest stories - the genocide in Darfur - reporters faced high barriers. [...]

Even when not reporting from the center of the crisis, Sudan's television and radio broadcasters remained under the tight control of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's government.

The country's print press -composed of independent, opposition, and pro-government dailies and weeklies - had greater latitude.

Independent newspapers such as Al-Sahafa and Al-Sudani produced daring coverage of sensitive topics such as government corruption and security service actions.

The pan-Arab satellite channels Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya also reported aggressively on the government’s actions. [...]

When it was not filing lawsuits, the government was busy seizing newspapers and censoring stories.

Security officers confiscated the press run of the opposition daily Ra'y Al-Shaab on August 21, a journalist at the paper told CPJ.

Later that month, authorities seized an entire press run of the opposition weekly Al-Midan without providing a reason."

Document(s): Open document

31.01.2008 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Freedom of expression strongly restricted: Newspaper agencies and journalists harassed, new registration procedures force some to suspend activities ("World Report 2008") [ID 22236]

"Journalists in Sudan use the term "red line" to describe issues they cannot report on for fear of reprisals by the government authorities.

"Red line" issues include Darfur, the ICC, and the July detention of the 17 alleged "coup plotters," including Mubarak al-Mahdi, leader of the Umma Party (Reform and Renewal).

Newspapers risk confiscation of their publications or closure if they report on these issues, and journalists risk harassment and arrest.

Following passage of the Voluntary Work Act in 2006, several organizations, especially human rights groups, have been harassed and intimidated, for instance by being summoned to national security for questioning.

Lengthy new registration procedures connected to the Voluntary Work Act have forced some to suspend their activities for months."

Document(s): Open document

23.05.2007 - Source: Amnesty International

Freedom of expression and associaten curtailed in 2006; journalists frequently arrested and newspapers censored and seized ("Annual Report 2007") [ID 20077]

"Freedoms of expression and association were curtailed. Journalists were frequently arrested and newspapers censored and seized."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Continued press censorship in 2006 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19279]

"The interim constitution provides for freedom of thought, expression, and of the press "as regulated by law"; however, the government severely restricted these rights in practice. Despite lifting emergency laws in July 2005, the government continued to censor print and broadcast media. Journalists also practiced self-censorship.

There were many daily newspapers, mainly in urban areas, reflecting somewhat differing political views. Several newspapers also reprinted articles from the international press, some of which were critical of government policies. There was one formally government-controlled newspaper in Arabic and one in English, although security services also controlled other newspapers. A number of independent publications were under intensive scrutiny during the year and experienced intimidation, interruption, and arrest of their editors. The English-language press complained of prejudice, noting that the Arabic test required of all accredited journalists was much more difficult than the English test. Many Anglophone journalists thus could not report or had to do so unofficially. For example, the Khartoum Monitor employed both Arabic- and English-speaking journalists so that the unaccredited English-speakers could translate articles written by their accredited Arabic-speaking colleagues who could not write in English.

The government directly controlled radio and television and required that they reflect government policies. Television has a permanent military censor to ensure that the news reflected official views. Some foreign radio broadcasts were available in the country. A private FM radio station, which began broadcasting music in Khartoum in 2004, continued to operate. Despite the government's license requirement and the high price of satellite dishes, citizens had access to foreign electronic media; the government did not jam foreign radio signals. In addition to domestic and satellite television services, there was a pay cable network, which directly rebroadcast uncensored foreign news and other programs.

International media were not allowed to operate freely. For example, some foreign journalists were allowed access to Darfur, while others were denied visas. Several foreign journalists and photographers were detained for photographing slums or taking pictures without a license; most were quickly released, but some were prosecuted for more serious crimes. [...]

There were no reports that the Government of Southern Sudan censored the press during the year; however, there were credible reports that various state governments in the South interfered with the press.[...]

The government exercised control of news reporting through the National Press Council and security forces, particularly regarding criticism of government actions and policies in Darfur. The National Press Council applied the press law and licensed newspapers, set press policy, and responded to complaints. In the event of a complaint, it could warn a newspaper or suspend it indefinitely and suspend journalists for up to two weeks. The council consisted of 21 members: seven selected by the president; five from the National Assembly; seven directly elected by journalists from the Journalists' Union; and two selected by leaders of the Journalists' Union, which observers considered to be government-controlled."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Government monitors Internet communications and e-mail messages between private citizens ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19280]

"The government monitored Internet communications, and the NISS read e-mail messages between private citizens. Some Web sites deemed offensive to public morality were blocked by the National Telecommunications Corporation, as were most proxy servers, but there generally were no restrictions on access to news and information Web sites. Internet access was generally available and widely used in urban areas, but it was limited by lack of infrastructure outside of cities."

Document(s): Open document

01.2007 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Increasing press censorship and persecution of journalists in 2006 ("World Report 2007") [ID 19070]

"Journalists and human rights defenders continued to suffer harassment, arrest and detention without charge, and other forms of intimidation, mainly from Sudanese security forces in Darfur and Khartoum. At least 15 international and Sudanese journalists were arrested and detained in 2006, and many more faced harassment, beatings, and arbitrary bureaucratic restrictions, particularly vis-à-vis efforts to travel to and report on the situation in Darfur and other sensitive issues.
Despite the guarantees of freedom of expression and press freedom provided in Article 39 of the Interim National Constitution (approved in 2005), press censorship and restrictions on Sudanese media increased in September and October, with security officials resuming pre-print inspections of editions and, in some cases, banning editions altogether."

Document(s): Open document

23.05.2006 - Source: Amnesty International

Restrictions on press freedom ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 18348]

"Newspapers continued to be heavily censored, particularly in relation to Darfur. The news media were instructed not to comment on UN Security Council Resolution 1593. Several newspapers were suspended temporarily or permanently after publishing articles considered critical of the authorities. Journalists were harassed."

Document(s): Open document