Sudan: increasing suppression of the media

Due to increasing media repression, Sudanese newspaper El Hadatha announced on Saturday that it will cease publication. US Embassy in Khartoum denounces the closure of Al Jazeera Live on Saturday by the Ministry of Information. Reporters claim that the revocation of a channel's license is illegal.

Shamseldin Dawelbeit, the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper, said in an interview on Sunday that it had suspended publication since the October 25 coup d'état, in protest against the takeover by army leader and Sovereignty Council chief Abdelfattah El Burhan.

"Heavily armed military formations attacked newspapers and other media institutions, confiscated their property, detained and intimidated them, and revoked their licenses," he said.

El Hadatha's management is monitoring developments in the situation before making a final decision, the editor-in-chief said. "The coup ended the freedom of the press and media brought about by the glorious December Revolution."

Al Jazeera Live went dark.

Sudan's Ministry of Information and Culture revoked the license of Al Jazeera Live on Saturday. The US Embassy in Khartoum responded by tweeting that the "revocation of Al Jazeera license is a step backward for freedom of the press, a cornerstone of the democratic transition."

On Sunday, Al Jazeera news network asked Sudanese authorities to return the license of Al Jazeera Live so that "it can carry on its journalistic work without hindrance or intimidation".

Since the military coup on October 25, Al Jazeera Live (part of the larger Al Jazeera network, which is still active in Sudan) has carried live coverage of the ongoing protests and civil disobedience across the country. Sudan's putschists have consistently sought to restrict coverage of the protests by blocking internet and mobile phone traffic. Since the coup at least 64 demonstrators have been shot dead, killed by tear gas canisters, or killed by excessive blows.