Sudanese Journalists’ Syndicate documents 673 violations and calls for end to impunity
Graphic: RD
The Sudanese Journalists’ Syndicate has documented 673 violations against journalists since the outbreak of war in Sudan on 15 April 2023, including 34 killings, 116 cases of arbitrary arrest, detention, and enforced disappearance, and 120 cases of threats and hate speech.
In a statement marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the syndicate’s Freedom Secretariat highlighted the deteriorating security and professional conditions facing journalists in Sudan since the conflict began.
The syndicate says threats against journalists have taken increasingly dangerous forms. By the end of June 2026, it had documented 673 violations, including the killing of 34 male and female journalists, 116 cases of arrest, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearance, 120 cases of threats and hate speech, and 34 incidents of direct targeting and gunfire. Other violations included physical assaults, looting, institutional abuses, and cross-border violations.
The Freedom Secretariat expressed particular concern over the cases of five journalists who have been subjected to enforced disappearance.
They are Ashraf El Habr, in areas controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF); Musab El Hadi, whose captors remain unknown; and Mustafa Fadl El Mawla, Magdi Youssef El Zein and Mohamed Hussein Shalabi, in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The syndicate also documented arbitrary arrests involving Adam Ishaq Manan and Maamar Ibrahim. It said that complete information was unavailable about detainees held in areas under SAF control, underscoring the urgent need to establish their whereabouts and secure their immediate release.
64 legal cases documented
On legal proceedings against journalists, the syndicate revealed that it had documented 64 cases of prosecution during the war.
These included complaints filed under the Cybercrime Act against 47 journalists and media organisations in a single instance, following which 18 journalists were declared wanted fugitives.
The syndicate warned about recent amendments to the Cybercrime Act and Article 51/A of the 1991 Criminal Act, which brought electronic and media publishing within the scope of the legislation. It also raised concerns about the establishment of a national mechanism to combat cybercrime in the absence of stronger safeguards for freedom of expression.
The Freedom Secretariat called for independent and transparent investigations into crimes targeting journalists and for those responsible to be held accountable.
It also demanded the repeal of restrictive legal provisions that curtail freedom of expression and the press, and an end to the use of criminal laws and emergency powers as instruments of repression.
The Secretariat further called for full protection for the journalistic community and guaranteed access to information, stressing that combating impunity is fundamental to safeguarding press freedom and society’s right to know.
‘Women journalists’ voices and pens deserve protection‘
As reported by Radio Dabanga today, Sudan’s Women Journalists Network has warned of escalating violations and crimes against journalists in Sudan, particularly women, and a growing culture of impunity amid the continuing war, widespread availability of weapons, proliferation of armed militias, and weakening state institutions.
In a report issued to mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the network called for an end to the war, the disarmament of militias, and investigations into crimes and violations committed against journalists, with those responsible held accountable and justice and redress secured for victims and survivors.
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