Freedom House have recently published their Freedom of the Press 2011, Global Press Freedom Rankings and Sudan has ranked 168th (out of 196) in the world in terms of press freedom, with Finland coming out on top.
http://www.freedomhouse.org/images/File/fop/2011/FOTP2011GlobalRegionalTables.pdf
This is unsurprising as only a few days ago (19 June), the Sudanese justice system decided to keep Abuzar Ali Al-Amin in jail.
Al-Amin, who is the deputy editor of opposition newspaper, Rai Al-Shaab, was arrested in May last year, charged two months later and given a five year sentence. This was then reduced to one year but days before his scheduled release, new charges were brought against him for which he may face life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
The National Intelligence and Security Services of Sudan have issued several complaints and thus Al-Amin is now allegedly facing charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal offences, attacks on the state aimed at undermining the constitutional system, publishing false information and irresponsible editing and journalism.
Reporters without Borders, who first published the story, say that these charges constitute psychological torture and have been brought against him ‘in a manner that is as illegal as the previous proceedings’.
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