The police in Sudan’s Wad Madani in Al Jazeera State on Saturday briefly detained the editor of Al-Midan Newspaper for documenting and reporting about the suffering citizens have to endure to obtain passports.
Al-Sadiq Mustafa Al-Sheikh was detained for eight hours inside a police patrol vehicle under the supervision of the investigation police forces before being released.
He said he was subjected to insults and inappropriate treatment during his detention.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Al-Sheikh said that the Passport Center in Wad Madani is crowded with women, children, and the elderly, in addition to some citizens paying money to facilitate the procedures.
He said he conducted surveys and took pictures with citizens to document their suffering and discussed the long procedures and difficulties of obtaining a passport, in addition to the exorbitant fees amounting to 900 Sudanese Pounds.
As a result, he was detained, his mobile phone was confiscated, and the interviews he conducted with citizens and all the photos he took were deleted.
“I was locked up in a police truck,” he said. “The police searched my bag and confiscated all my gadgets. For me, that was unacceptable behavior.”
The Sudanese Journalists Network described the detention of Al-Sheikh as unlawful because the journalist fulfilled his professional duty by taking pictures of the citizens who were jostling to enter the main gate of a public building.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the Sudanese Journalists Network condemned the detention of Al-Sheikh and called the incident a “violation” of press freedom.
The statement called for a wide media campaign to combat the ongoing violations against journalists and to stop the persecution, arbitrary detention, oppression, and abuse against scribes without any legal justification.
The Sudanese Journalists Network called on the competent authorities to carry out their responsibilities and duty in providing adequate protection and maintaining the security and safety of citizens.