A Sudanese newspaper editor has filed a complaint with Justice Minister Abdullah Dirf, accusing Prime Minister Kamil Idris and his legal adviser of exerting pressure on journalists over their reporting on the government.
Abdel Majid Abdel Hamid, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Masadir, said he raised the complaint during a meeting with the justice minister at his office in the Minerals Tower in Khartoum.
Abdel Hamid called for legal protection for himself and other journalists and media workers who, he alleged, have been subjected to harassment and legal action through complaints filed with the cybercrime prosecution service.
He accused the prime minister’s office of pursuing journalists because of articles critical of the government’s performance and urged the Justice Ministry to review the way some government legal advisers handle media-related cases.
Abdel Hamid alleged that some legal advisers were being used to pursue personal disputes involving senior officials and their office directors under the cover of legal procedures.
He specifically accused Mubarak Ajab, the new legal adviser to the Council of Ministers, of filing complaints against journalists and media workers over material they published about the government’s performance.
According to Abdel Hamid, he told the justice minister that some officials and their legal advisers were failing to recognise the watchdog role of the press, including its right to scrutinise public officials, assess their performance and criticise government policies.
He argued that such journalism should not automatically be treated as defamation or as causing harm to state institutions.
Abdel Hamid renewed his call for publication-related cases involving journalists to be handled under Sudan’s press law rather than the Cybercrime Law, which he said imposes broad restrictions on journalistic work.
There was no immediate public response from Idris, his office or the officials named in Abdel Hamid’s allegations.
