SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Sudanese human rights defender charged for 'false news' Facebook posts

27/3/2021: Radio Dabanga - Sudanese human rights defender charged for 'false news' Facebook posts

Radio Dabanga report that human rights activist Khadeeja al-Deweihi has been charged with publishing “false news” under Articles 24 and 25 of the 2018 Cybercrime Act, based on a May 13 2020 Facebook post discussing the health situation in Sudan.

Al-Deweihi was questioned by the police investigator why she wrote about health issues when she is an agricultural engineer. She was then summoned to appear at the Office of the Prosecutor on December 14, where she was asked about her political affiliation and her engagement with the Communist Party of Sudan.

On March 18 2021, the Prosecutor in charge of cybercrimes charged her with publishing false news online under articles 24 and 25 of the 2018 Cyber Crimes Act and issued an order to refer the case to the court for trial.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Coronavirus: ‘Sudan needs a total lock-down for two weeks’

27/3/2020: Radio Dabanga - Coronavirus: ‘Sudan needs a total lock-down for two weeks’

 Radio Dabanga reports that Sudanese politicians and civil society activists have described the measures taken by the government to limit the spread of the coronavirus as “good, but incomplete.”

 Hafiz Ismail, the head of the NGO Justice Africa Sudan called for a two-week national lockdown, warning that the dusk-to-dawn curfew has no significant effect, given that most people leave their home in daytime.  

 The Communist Party of Sudan called for direct government support to reduce the impact of isolation measures on the informal sector, with “all capabilities of the state”, including military and security forces, utilised in combatting the spread of the coronavirus, and the ministries of Finance, Trade, Labour, Social Welfare, and Health providing funds to monitor and support vulnerable groups.

 The Communist Party also called for better inspection of workers conditions in factories, reduced working hours, and obligating business owners to heed occupational health guidelines.