Sudanese military arrests, assaults journalists covering protests

At least six journalists have been detained, and later released, by the Sudanese military in Khartoum since January 12. Additionally, on January 13, a freelance journalist was assaulted by military forces, while at least two other journalists were run over by military vehicles.

Their attacks occurred during protests against Sudan's military rulers, which have been ongoing since Sudan's military head overthrew the country's transitional government in a coup d'état in October 2021.

The Sudanese Ministry of Culture and Information reportedly revoked the broadcast license of Qatari satellite channel Al-Jazeera on January 16, according to a report from Radio Dabanga. As stated in Al-Jazeera, the ministry withdrew accreditation from two journalists - Khartoum correspondent Mohamed Omar and photographer Badawi Bashir - for their alleged "unprofessional coverage" and reporting that harmed Sudan's social fabric, according to the ministry's statement included in the report.

Sudanese Journalists Network, a local press freedom group, and Radio Dabanga, a local independent media outlet, reported that military security forces detained two photographers of China's official Xinhua News Agency on January 12 and took them to a military base Omdurman.

A group of security forces surrounded the Khartoum offices of Al Araby TV, a London-based television station funded by a Qatari company, stormed the building and arrested reporter Wael Mohammed Alhassan, office supervisor Islam Saleh, camera operator Mazen Onour, and his assistant Abu Baker Ali, on January 13.

As explained in the Al-Araby TV article, the crew of the channel was filming the protests from the rooftop at the time of the raid, adding that the soldiers beat Saleh with batons while he was being arrested.

* This article contains information sourced from the Committee to Protect Journalists.