Sudan’s Ministry of Culture and Information issued a statement about the license of Al Jazeera Mubasher. The statement came on the same day protesters marched to the presidential palace, and the military murdered 7 persons. The statement was misleading.
On January 17, Sudan’s Ministry of Culture and Information issued a statement about the license of Al Jazeera Mubasher, Al Jazeera’s Arabic public affairs television network. Two days earlier, the government withdrew the license and revoked the accreditation of two Al Jazeera journalists.
The statement came on the same day that thousands of protesters marched to the presidential palace in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to demand a return of civilian rule after the military took power in October. Coup forces used gunfire and tear gas, killing seven people.
The Ministry of Culture and Information claimed that Al Jazeera had broadcast scenes from the Sudan protests that included nudity, indecent language and scenes of out-of-control people behaving abnormally.
“The decision to withdraw Al Jazeera Mubasher’s license … came after many calls to its team to act professional, consider the public interest and stop broadcasting harmful content to the youth that violates the values and ethics of the Sudanese nation,” the ministry said.
But that is misleading. The move against Al Jazeera is part of pattern of suppression and censorship under Sudan’s military leadership.
