Today, Wednesday, the authorities arrested the journalist of “Al-Hirak Al-Siasi” newspaper, Ahmed Gassem Al-Sayed, and took him to the State Security Prosecution, placed him in custody, and interrogated him, before releasing him on bail, after opening a complaint against him and confiscating his personal phone.
Gasem Al-Sayed was arrested in front of the newspaper’s headquarters in Khartoum, by four individuals in civilian clothes, in a shaded box car without plates, to be placed under the custody of the State Security Prosecution in Khartoum for more than four hours.
Qasim Al-Sayed revealed to “Ultra Sudan” that he was pressured to open his personal phone, and was searched by security, before the phone was confiscated. Gasm al-Sayed continued, “They pressured me to reveal the source of the news, but I strongly refused.” He added, “After the news of my kidnapping spread after more than three hours, I was asked to contact the closest person, and I called the newspaper,” pointing to the arrival of a large number of journalists to the State Security Prosecution. Qasem Al-Sayed added, “I was released on bail after filing a report of crimes against the state against me.”
Journalist Ahmed Gasm Al-Sayed was arrested because of a story he had in the “Al-Hirak Al-Siasi” newspaper, which stated that the security apparatus addressed the Rapid Support Forces, demanding the evacuation of the headquarters of the Operations Authority, which were seized by the Support Forces after the fall of the regime, and the dissolution of the Authority and the confiscation of its role.
Qasem al-Sayed revealed abuses directed against him and journalists, after he refused to respond to the investigators’ request to disclose his source in return for his release.
Qassem Al-Sayed was released on bail, while the editor-in-chief of Al-Hirak Al-Siyasi newspaper, Rokaya Al-Zaki, was summoned to appear before the State Security Prosecution tomorrow, Thursday.
For its part, the Syndicate of Journalists described the arrest of journalist Ahmed Gassem El-Sayed as “illegal” and a “reprehensible” step, and the way he was taken as “humiliating” and tantamount to “kidnapping.”
A statement by the Syndicate said that the kidnapping of journalist Ahmed Gasm El-Sayed is among more than (70) violations that male and female journalists were subjected to, which the Syndicate of Journalists monitored recently – according to the statement.
Ultra Sudan