Journalists protest in Khartoum over crackdown on press freedoms

KHARTOUM — Dozens of journalists marched in Khartoum on Monday to demand an end to a crackdown on press freedom, eyewitnesses said, amidst the most sustained challenge to Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir since he took power in a 1989 coup. 

Protesters have been taking to the streets frequently across Sudan since December 19. The protests were initially triggered by price rises and cash shortages but evolved into demonstrations against Bashir and his National Congress Party.

Monday's protesters carried a large banner that read "Free press or no press" as they walked down a main street in the Sudanese capital. They chanted "journalism is the voice of the people" and "the revolution is the choice of the people".

Since the wave of demonstrations began, 90 journalists have been detained, according to the Sudanese Journalists' Network, an anti-government group of journalists that organised Monday's protest. Most have since been released, the group said. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says the number of arrests is unprecedented, but that it is impossible to give an exact figure because journalists have been arrested then freed, with this happening to some more than once.

The CPJ has also said that Sudanese authorities have tried to censor news coverage of the protests and that they have blocked access to popular social media platforms. 

Othman Mirghani, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Al Tayar, and one of Sudan's most prominent journalists, was arrested at his Khartoum office on February 22, the same day Bashir declared a state of emergency, his family said.

He was detained shortly after a televised interview in which he criticised Bashir's declaration of a state of emergency, according to relatives. They said Mirghani remains in custody, but has still not been charged. 

Sudanese authorities were not immediately available for comment.

Bashir last month also dissolved the central government, replaced state governors with security officials, expanded police powers and banned unlicensed public gatherings. That has not deterred protesters from staging regular rallies.