The African Journalists forum condemned the repetitive confiscation of newspapers by Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services as reply to the newspapers’ coverage of the crises of bread, fuel and transportation.

According to Dabanga Radio, the forum issued a statement condemning the confiscation of Al-Jareeda for the third day in a row. The forum also considered this act as an attempt to scare the media and forbid the people from the right to access to information.

Additionally, the forum urged the Sudanese government to stop immediately the arbitrary confiscation of newspapers and the intimidation of journalists. The statement also criticised the new Sudanese press/journalism law, calling the African Union to pressure Sudan and other African countries to cancel the laws limiting the freedom of information. Furthermore, Sudan is the 174th among 180 countries within the press freedom indicator list of 2018 issued by Reporters Without Boarders.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights stated in Article (19) that: “Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression, this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontier, either orally, in writing or in print in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.”

Also, the Sudanese constitution included in Article 39-(1) that: “Every citizen shall have an unrestricted right to the freedom of expression, reception of information, publication and access to the press without prejudice to order, safety or public morals as determined by law. The state shall guarantee the freedom of the press and other media as shall be regulated by law in a democratic society. All media shall abide by professional ethics, shall retain from inciting religious, ethnic, racial or cultural hatred and shall not agitate for violence or war.”