Sudan
07.02.01
Urgent Interventions
Sudan: jailing of two journalists
Case SDN 070201
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Sudan.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudanese Victims of Torture Group (SVTG) that on February 4, 2001 two journalists, Amal Abbas and Ibrahim Hassan, working for an independent newspaper, were jailed for failing to pay fines ordered by a court.
The fines were punishment for defaming the governor of Khartoum in an article, the journalists' paper reported. A criminal court also ordered the left-leaning Al-Rai Al-Akhar daily to pay 1 billion pounds (dlrs 390,000) -- the highest fine ever in Sudan against a newspaper -- for publishing the article, which appeared in August.
On Saturday 3rd February 2001, Amal Abbas, the daily's editor, and Ibrahim Hassan, the author of the article, began a three-month jail sentence for failing to pay a fine of 15 million pounds (dlrs 5,900) each. She was incarcerated in Oum Dourman prison, in Khartoum. The author of the incriminating article, Ibrahim Hassan, was given the same sentence and imprisoned in Kober prison. Both told the court they did not have the money, according to Al-Rai Al-Akhar. The defending lawyers contested the ruling on Sunday 4th February.
The article published in Al-Rai Al-Akhar in August accused Majzoub Khalifa, the governor of Khartoum, of corruption and nepotism. The court stated that the accusations have not been substantiated. Under Sudanese law, unsubstantiated accusations of corruption and other illegal acts by the government are punishable by fines and imprisonment of two months to life. In Saturday's verdict, the court acknowledged that the sentences were harsh, but it said they aimed to "serve as a lesson for the press" to seek accuracy and verify stories before publishing them. In January, Abbas spent two days in jail for refusing to publish an apology for an article that accused some justice departments of being the "Mafia of the public sector." The justice minister intervened and released her. Al-Rai Al-Akhar, Arabic for The Other Viewpoint, is known to be a fierce critic of the political and economic conditions in Sudan. The paper began publication in 1995 and has been temporarily banned from publishing about 10 times.
OMCT and SVTG condemn the imprisonment of Amal Abbas and Ibrahim Hassan, and the fines levied against them and the Al-Rai Al-Akhar. Furthermore, the continuous harassment of journalists and the Al-Rai Al-Akhar daily, constitutes an infringement of their right to the free exercise of their profession as journalists.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Amal Abbas and Ibrahim Hassan and order their immediate release ;
ii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
His Excellency Lieutenant Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 24911 787676/783223.
Mr Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan. Telegrams: Justice Minister, Khartoum, Sudan
Mr Mustafa Osman Ismail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 24911 779383.
Dr Ahmad al-Mufti, Advisory Council for Human Rights, PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan.
Fax: + 24911 779173
The Diplomatic Representatives of Sudan in your country.
Geneva, February 7, 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Sudan.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudanese Victims of Torture Group (SVTG) that on February 4, 2001 two journalists, Amal Abbas and Ibrahim Hassan, working for an independent newspaper, were jailed for failing to pay fines ordered by a court.
The fines were punishment for defaming the governor of Khartoum in an article, the journalists' paper reported. A criminal court also ordered the left-leaning Al-Rai Al-Akhar daily to pay 1 billion pounds (dlrs 390,000) -- the highest fine ever in Sudan against a newspaper -- for publishing the article, which appeared in August.
On Saturday 3rd February 2001, Amal Abbas, the daily's editor, and Ibrahim Hassan, the author of the article, began a three-month jail sentence for failing to pay a fine of 15 million pounds (dlrs 5,900) each. She was incarcerated in Oum Dourman prison, in Khartoum. The author of the incriminating article, Ibrahim Hassan, was given the same sentence and imprisoned in Kober prison. Both told the court they did not have the money, according to Al-Rai Al-Akhar. The defending lawyers contested the ruling on Sunday 4th February.
The article published in Al-Rai Al-Akhar in August accused Majzoub Khalifa, the governor of Khartoum, of corruption and nepotism. The court stated that the accusations have not been substantiated. Under Sudanese law, unsubstantiated accusations of corruption and other illegal acts by the government are punishable by fines and imprisonment of two months to life. In Saturday's verdict, the court acknowledged that the sentences were harsh, but it said they aimed to "serve as a lesson for the press" to seek accuracy and verify stories before publishing them. In January, Abbas spent two days in jail for refusing to publish an apology for an article that accused some justice departments of being the "Mafia of the public sector." The justice minister intervened and released her. Al-Rai Al-Akhar, Arabic for The Other Viewpoint, is known to be a fierce critic of the political and economic conditions in Sudan. The paper began publication in 1995 and has been temporarily banned from publishing about 10 times.
OMCT and SVTG condemn the imprisonment of Amal Abbas and Ibrahim Hassan, and the fines levied against them and the Al-Rai Al-Akhar. Furthermore, the continuous harassment of journalists and the Al-Rai Al-Akhar daily, constitutes an infringement of their right to the free exercise of their profession as journalists.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Amal Abbas and Ibrahim Hassan and order their immediate release ;
ii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
His Excellency Lieutenant Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, People's Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 24911 787676/783223.
Mr Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan. Telegrams: Justice Minister, Khartoum, Sudan
Mr Mustafa Osman Ismail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Fax: + 24911 779383.
Dr Ahmad al-Mufti, Advisory Council for Human Rights, PO Box 302, Khartoum, Sudan.
Fax: + 24911 779173
The Diplomatic Representatives of Sudan in your country.
Geneva, February 7, 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.