Sudanese journalists demand press freedomBy REEM ABBAS in Khartoum | Friday, May 11   2012 at  10:25

The Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) has condemned the diminishing margin of press freedom and the alarming rate of confiscation of independent papers in the country.

Speaking at the meeting on Thursday, one of the 15 banned journalists, Mr Khaled Ahmed, said the gathering was meant to express the reality that 15 journalists and writers have been banned and newspapers confiscated this year alone.

The SJN has also resolved to organise silent protests and a march to parliament in a bid to protest the ongoing crackdown on the press and freedom of expression.

“Our slogan is free press or no press; it is either we have real press freedom like the world, or we find another job," said Ahmed who is also a member SJN’s executive committee.

For the past five months the media in Sudan has faced serious setbacks. Three newspapers were suspended in January and February. One of them, Rai-Al-Shab, is owned by the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP).

The two other newspapers, Al-Tayar and Alwan, are now back on the newsstands; However, just last week, an entire issue of Al-Tayar was confiscated from the printing press.

Al-Jareeda newspaper, suspended for over three months last year, was allowed to resume publishing early this year. But it has faced three confiscations in April, according to Mr Hassan Ishaq, a journalist with the paper.

A paper owned by another opposition party, the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP), was confiscated 15 times this year.