SHRO-Cairo Report

November 23, 2001

SHRO-Cairo Asks Sudan Government to Respect the Freedom of Expression

Under a permanent state of emergency law, the Government of Sudan continues to violate the freedoms of expression using the notorious National Council of the Press and Publications as a tool of authority to suppress the free Press.

The SHRO-Cairo Information and Documentation Committee has consistently monitored the aggressive attacks of the government on Sudanese professionals, including journalists and other intellectuals since the early days of the NIF military coup. The terrorist regime continues to abuse State powers to kill, torture, detain, arbitrarily arrest, and dispossess journalists from all means of living to silence the freedom of expression.

The assassination of the Sudanese journalists Abdel-Mon?¦im Suliman and Mekki Abdel-Gadir, as well as the torture to death of Dr. Ali Fadl and the massive dismissals of hundreds of professionals testifies clearly to the NIF?¦s terrorism and brutality. The existing policy of the ruling regime to suppress the freedom of expression in order to escape any public accountability of its terrorism and corruption is never changed.

In 1997, SHRO-Cairo published a list of the Sudanese democratic professionals who were arbitrarily arrested, detained in ghost houses, tortured, and dismissed from work with no compensation as a direct application of government policy (see Annex below).

Mahgoub Osman, a founding figure of Sudanese journalism, former minister of culture and information, explains the significance of press in the SHRO-Cairo publication (Sudan Laws and International Human Rights, Cairo, 1997) in these words:

?§When we speak about press and publication laws in Sudan, we have to remember that the circulation of books and pamphlets, other than newspapers or magazines, generates a small impact on the public whereas the press, radio, and t.v. exert a greater pressure on Sudanese public opinion and community leaders.?¨

Mahgoub Osman affirms, ?§There is no exaggeration in stating that the Sudanese press played a leading role in the achievement of independence that might have surpassed the role played by political parties. This vibrant activity has been harshly restricted by ruling parties up to a complete stoppage of the press as a free voice of Sudanese masses. The second dictatorship (1969-1985) enacted most of the press laws. They were also favorable to the third dictatorship (1989 to the present) although it has significantly toughened the law on the press and publications.?¨

The SHRO-Cairo Report on Human Rights Situation in Sudan, October 2000-February 2001 (see the Sudanese Human Rights Quarterly, Issue No. 11, March 2001), documents the unprecedented trial and sentencing of journalist Amal Abbas with 15 million pounds (about US$5,800) fine. The trial revealed the rotten corruption of the Khartoum administration.

November 23rd, 2001, Sid Ahmed Khalifa, editor-in-chief of Al-Watan newspaper, informed the Jazeera Channel that the regime?¦s censorship has been targeting his paper as a part of the overall attack on the press and freedom of expression since the totalitarian regime is not interested in public accountability.

Because Al-Watan threw light on new aspects of the rotten corruption of the ruling group, the government-controlled National Council of Press and Publications censored it, and her editors were arrested and tortured. The national Council of the Press has regularly censored the Kharoum Monitor, the only English-speaking journal in Khartoum. Alfred Taban, the Monitor?¦s publisher, and Albino Okeny, editor-in-chief, were repeatedly arrested and detained for political reasons. Other newspapers, such as Rai Al-Sha?¦b daily, the mouthpiece of the PNC, were also confiscated and later banned for political reasons.

Mahgoub Osman earlier stated that ?§All Sudanese press and publication laws violated the international human rights norms that emphasize the freedom of publication and information and dissemination of ideas. Article 19 of UDHR as adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of December 10,1948 reads: ?§Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.?¨

Osman asks: ?§The question is: What does Sudan Press Law 1993 say as a law presently organizing administration of the press with all its activities in addition to the supervision and censorship of publications, printing houses, and journalist agencies??¨

As he answers: ?§The Press Law 1993 has been enacted and enforced by a constitutional decree that empowered head of the June military coup with unlimited authority to issue that law as well as the other laws applied in Sudan today. For example, Section 4 (1) of Chapter 2 of the law states, ?§Newspapers shall be issued in the Republic of The Sudan by press corporations as licensed by the National Council of the Press and Publications, in accordance with provisions of this law.?¨

What Sudan needs, as Osman emphasizes, is a principled application of the freedom of expression: ?§There are some developed countries that consider publication a right exercised without any prior permits from authority. All needed to publish a journal is to inform a post office about the new publication for distribution purposes, etc. But in the case of Sudan, there is a licensing authority, i.e., the National Council of the Press and Publications.?¨

„h SHRO-Cairo Board of Trust and Executive Committee condemns in the strongest terms possible the reckless attitude of the NIF rulers towards the freedom of the press and publications and the right of journalists and the other intellectuals to exercise these freedoms without any censorship.

„h The Organization calls for the immediate abrogation of the 1991 law of the press and the notorious council of press and publications.

„h SHRO-Cairo asks the Government of Sudan to undertake, according to law, immediate judicial investigation on the rotten corruption of the Khartoum rulers and senior officials who were clearly accused by the Sudanese Press of abuse of authority, financial corruption, and hurt of the national economy.

„h As head of the national council of press and publications by the 1993 law, Omer Hassan Ahmed El-Bashir is directly responsible for the non-accountability, corruption, and the other heinous crimes that disrupted the intellectual life of the country and made it possible to corrupt the Khartoum administration.

„h Omer Bashir and his government are required to return, with judicial compensation, all the Sudanese professionals who have been unlawfully dismissed from their positions as indicated in this SHRO-Cairo Annex, in addition to all new cases that are not mentioned in the Annex:

ANNEX

Names of Artists Subjected to Interrogation by Security Forces and Dismissal of Service, 1989-1997

Dr. Mohamed Saeed Al-Gaddal - historian, writer
Dr. Ali Osman Mohamed Salih - archaeologist, writer
Kamal Awad Al-Gozouli - poet, critic
Dr. Ali Abd-Alla Abbas - writer
Mahgoub Sharif - poet
Dr. Ushari Ahmed Mahmoud - writer
Al-Shafi?¦ Ibrahim Al-Daw - t.v. director
Tariq Al-Amin Firaygoun - t.v. director
Abd Al-Mon?¦im Awad Al-Gozouli, theatre director
Um Al-Khair Kambal - artist
Ibrahim Ahmed Bakheet - theatre
Fathal-Rahman Bardoas - artist
Abdel-Wahab Babiker - artist
Ahmed Al-Mardi - artist
Osman Al-Nao - musician
Omer Bannaqa - musician
Anwar Abdel-Rahman - musician
Shamat Mohamed Noor - musician
Salah Suliman - artist
Mahmoud Gad-Allah - musician
Ali Al-Amin - artist
Al-Mardi Mohamed Mu?¦alim - artist
Abdel-Wahab Waraq - journalist
Adil Al-Qassas - story-teller, critic
Ja?¦far Mohamed Nasr - theater critic
Omer Al-Tayeb Musa?¦ad - artist
Dr. Musa Al-Khalifa - artist
Gamal Abdel-Rahman - musician
Sharif Shurahbeel Al-Tahir - artist
Abu Bakr Al-Amin - journalist
Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Yousif - lecturer
Abdel-Ghani Mohamed Noor - artist
Abd Al-Mon?¦im Al-Rayah - artist
Al-Tahir Bushra - artist
Ibrahim Shadad - movie director
Al-Galad Musical Band
Salam Musical Band
Al-Gao Al-Rattib Theatrical Band
Dr. Dar Al-Salam Abdel-Rahim - manager

Employees Dismissed from the Ministry of Culture and Information

Galal Hassan Abu-Gabal - inspector
Yahya Sharif - director
Al-Shaikh Hamad - director
Samiya Ibrahim - director
Amir Al-Tilib - director
Abdu Essa - employee
Shuaib Salih - director
Sa?¦diya Abd Al-Rahim - director
Awadiya Shabbo - photographer
Mohamed Mahmoud - photographer
Hassan Al-Sayed - photographer
Al-Sadiq Muzamil Abu Al-Reesh - legal advisor
Hana Al-Sabaq - employee
Amin Hassan Muhamadani - inspector
Dr. Abdel-Rahman Qorashi - inspector
Abdel-Hadi Al-Zubair - inspector
Mohamed Ahmed Basha - inspector
Gamal Ibrahim - employee
Illa?¦ Al-Deen Yousif - accountant
Hassan Ahmed - clerk
Yousif Abdel-Hadi Higazi - senior clerk
Asma Al-Tom - employee
Asma Abdel-Rahman - director
Nadiya Mohamed Ali -employee
Sumaiya Ibrahim - employee
Hassan Ali Hassan - director
Iz Al-Deen Nassar Ali - director
Dr. Fayiz Tahir - director
Al-Tahir Ahmed Mohamed Salih - director
Mahmoud Mohamed Idris - director
Mohamed Abd-Allah Sorkatti - employee
Firyal Ma?¦roof - employee
Abdel-Hamid Hassan Mohamed - employee
Ja?¦far Omer Essa - employee
Dr. Ismail Ali Al-Fihail - employee
Al-Hadi Guma?¦ Gabir - employee
Khalida Abdel-Hafiz - employee
Mohamed Al-Mahdi Abdel-Wahab - employee
Al-Sir Hassan Yousif - employee

Employees Dismissed from the Sudan National Radio and T.V.

Al-Shafi?¦ Ibrahim Al-Daw - t.v. director
Mohamed Al-Assad - director
Abd Al-Halim Kabo - engineer
Omer Daffa-Allah - head, political section
Amina Abd Al-Rahim - assistant programs?¦ manager
Abdel-Salam Al-Rufai?¦ - director
Ramadan Saeed - designer
Khatab Hassan Ahmed - radio director
Al-Migdad Shaikh Al-Deen - radio-broadcaster
Noor Al-Sham Essa - actress, director
Mohamed Mohamed Khair - employee
Musa Mohamed Ali ?V t.v. assistant director-general
Galila Abd-Allah - employee
Muna Ablah - employee
Abd Al-Rahman Abdu - studio supervisor
Amira Karouri - broadcaster
Saliha Abbakar - news section
Issam Mohamed Ahmed
Abd-Allah Abd Al-Wahab Al-Shaikh - theater critic
Suliman Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed - movie director
Awad Mohamed Ali - movie director
Dr. Usama Abd Al-Rahman - director-general, Sudan National Museum
Salah Abd Al-Rahim - movie specialist
Al-Sir Hassan Ahmed - theater director
Mustafa Ahmed Al-Khalifa - theater director
Aisha Mubarak - theater director