Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in the capital Khartoum summoned the editor of El Baj News website, Lina Yagoub, confiscated her phone and personal computer, and interrogated her for 12 hours about her sources last week. Then the Security released her and asked her to come back on Sunday. The NISS also summoned Maha El Tilib and interrogated her, and the correspondent of El Tayyar daily newspaper in El Gedaref, Ammar El Daw last week.

The journalists’ network has condemned the continued confiscation of newspapers, investigations and frequent summonses of journalists to the security offices in publishing issues. In a statement yesterday, it announced its solidarity with Yaqoub, El tilib, and El Daw. The network also has strongly condemned the threat to kill the correspondent of El Sudani newspaper Abdelgadir Bakash by one of the leaders of the National Congress Party of the Red Sea state named Hatim El Tayeb, for criticizing administrative appointments in the state. The network announced its confrontation of these practices and its unequivocal support for Bakash.

Although the freedom of expression and opinion provided for in the Interim Constitution of 2005 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the National Intelligence and Security Service still confiscates newspapers from the printing press after printing them and prevents journalists from writing in their newspapers, which constitutes a clear violation of the right of expression and freedom of opinion, which stipulated in the Interim Constitution in Article 39 paragraphs 1,2,3 which entitles any citizen the right to freedom of expression, reception of information and publications.

Source; Dabanga