EG Authorities Arrest Sudanese Journalist Over Social Media Post

It has been a week since Attaf Mohamed Mokhtar was arrested and still no allegations against him have been made public by the Egyptian authorities. Mokhtar, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Al-Sudani, fled Sudan with his family and settled down in Cairo after the civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), began in April 2023. He is known for being a vocal critic of the role of external powers supporting the RSF and interfering in Sudan's internal affairs. He was reportedly arrested in connection with a social media post criticising Sudan's internal affairs, but the Egyptian authorities have neither confirmed nor denied this information. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn The SJU issued a statement calling for the immediate release of Mokhtar and pointing out that they had contacted senior officials from Sudan's government to call for his freedom. "The union is deeply concerned about the fate of Attaf, given the absence of information regarding his health or the circumstances that led to his detention from his apartment in Cairo. We hope for his immediate release and for clarification of the reasons behind his arrest [...]". IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger demanded Mokhtar's immediate release and warned that his arrest would have a chilling effect on exiled journalists in Egypt, who would no longer feel safe expressing their views for fear of intimidation and harassment. Bellanger said: "We are extremely concerned by the arrest of Mokhtar, a journalist who was simply exercising his right to freedom of expression by voicing critical views on his country's internal affairs. Independent journalism and critical voices are particularly important in conflict zones, as they inform citizens and shape an informed public opinion. This case raises serious concerns about freedom of expression, and it could have a chilling effect on exiled journalists in the country. Egypt is well-known for hosting exiled journalists from the region, and their safety must be guaranteed. The IFJ urges the Egyptian authorities to release Mokhtar immediately and unconditionally." Read the original article on IFJ . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.