Watchdog criticises government's media policy

An international media monitoring organisation has criticised the Sudanese government's press policies, accusing Khartoum of using a wide array of repressive tools in its attempts to control the media in the country. The Denmark-based International Media Support (IMS) said in a report that most people living in the north, including the capital Khartoum, had little or no access to independent information on the "terrifying humanitarian costs" of the ongoing civil war in the south of the country. "This severe shortage of information prevented any serious public debate even on less controversial, non-military matters," the report said. For example, it said, the war had driven more than 1.5 million people to the greater Khartoum area, but through direct censorship, media organisations in the north had generally been prevented from covering the real implications of this enormous shift in population patterns. "There is no independent electronic media in Sudan nor any signs that this will be allowed in the near future," the report said. "All print media are subject to a publishing licence, issued by the National Press Council (NPC). The secretary general of the NPC is appointed by the president of the republic." However, Sudan's deputy ambassador to Kenya, Muhammad Ahmad Dirdeiry, dismissed the report, saying his country enjoyed greater media freedom compared to many countries in Africa and the Middle East. He noted that Sudan currently had only one official government newspaper out of at least 20 others, most of which were independently-owned. "Before the current government came to power, there was only one official newspaper in Sudan. Now there is no room for such criticisms," he told IRIN. Meanwhile, a Sudanese court has reportedly cancelled the licence of the English-language 'Khartoum Monitor' for alleged misinformation. Two journalists were jailed until fines were paid for their release. The paper has been suspended several times for publishing stories related to human rights, slavery and freedom of expression. Click here for full IMS report: www.i-m-s.dk