Sudanese Editor Arrested under Very Suspicious Circumstances

Sudanese Editor Arrested under Very Suspicious Circumstances

The editor-in-chief of Ajras El-Hurriyya, one of the very few independent publications in Sudan, was arrested yesterday and taken into custody after he announced he would be traveling to Germany.

Alhaj Warrag had been dealing with local authorities trying to clear the way for his trip and asking court authorities whether he needed to fulfill his judicial obligations as prescribed by a criminal defamation process that dates back to 2007.

After the pertinent court authorities told him there was no rush to complete the process, he decided to postpone these bureaucratic procedures.

According to sources from Ajras El-Hurriyya (Arabic for “bells of freedom”), after Warrag announced his plans to travel to Germany next week, he was arrested, taken to prison and told he will not be released until he fulfills his court obligations, including the payment of a fine.

Ajras El-Hurriyya is one of the very few publications left in Sudan that strives to offer different points of view about the country’s most pressing issues.

But this has come at a high cost. Warrag and his staff have been subject to frequent harassment and intimidation by government agents, and their publication has been regularly censored by the authorities. In fact, on Thursday, the newspaper had to cancel its print edition because of an article that censors found too uncomfortable.

Sudan is still reeling from the dire consequences of one of the longest, most devastating armed conflicts in Africa’s history. Its international reputation is at its all-time low just when the country is in dire need of foreign aid and assistance to tackle its very grave problems.

In these critical times, a free and independent media that seeks the truth and duly informs the public constitutes a critical component of any dreams of recovery.
Warrag and “Bells of Freedom” need to be left alone.

The leaders of Federation of African Human Rights Activists ( FAHRO ) www.fahra.org fated and requested the Sudanese president General Omar Hassan Al-bashir to allows the journalist his rights to travel in Germany.