Sudanese journalists launched a mass hunger strike on Tuesday, and three independent newspapers stopped work for three days in the country's biggest organised media protest against draconian censorship. Between 150 and 300 journalists began a 24-hour hunger strike and the Ajras Al-Hurriya, Al-Maidan and Rayal Al-Shab newspapers halted production, saying they could no longer accept government restrictions over editorial content.
"We are going to stop for three days as a start. We are going on a food strike for a minimum of 24 hours," said Salah Ahmed Alkagam, head of the board of directors of Ajras Al-Hurriya and one of the protest organisers. "We are going to protest against this sad practice against freedoms. We just want our constitutional rights," he added.
Sudan's interim constitution, which is supposed to guide the country through a six-year phased implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended two decades of civil war, upholds freedom of the press and expression.
But laws guaranteeing press freedom have yet to be passed, and security officials inspect the editions of every newspaper nightly. Editors who resist censorship risk their publications being banned outright or confiscated from distribution offices. Journalists say news articles and editorials are banned, particularly on sujects deemed particularly sensitive such as the conflict in Darfur, corruption and human rights.