Al-Musalmi Al-Kabbashi, Sudan bureau chief for Al Jazeera News, was arrested on Sunday by Sudanese security forces who raided his home in Khartoum. The military junta currently ruling Sudan did not give any reason for his arrest.
Massive street demonstrations against the junta took place on Saturday in Khartoum and Omdurman. The protests were especially vigorous because coup leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan consolidated power by appointing himself head of a hand-picked “sovereign council” on Thursday.
At least seven people were reportedly killed when security forces used tear gas and gunfire to disperse the demonstrators. Eyewitnesses were surprised that the junta moved so quickly and aggressively to crush the protests.
The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, an opposition group of medical professionals, reported on Sunday that the seventh fatality was a 13-year-old girl who died from a bullet wound to her head. Hundreds of injuries were also reported by the committee.
Al Jazeera condemns the arrest of its Sudan bureau chief by security forces in the capital, Khartoum, and demands his immediate release.
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— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 14, 2021
Security forces also invaded a hospital in Omdurman to detain several of the wounded protesters, leading Al Jazeera to suspect its bureau chief was arrested in connection with the demonstrations.
“Al Jazeera condemns in the strongest terms the reprehensible actions of the military and calls on the authorities to release El Kabbashi immediately and to allow its journalists to operate unhindered, free to practice their profession without fear or intimidation,” the Qatar-based news organization said in a statement.
“In a world in which the media and journalists face increasing threats, Al Jazeera views this as an attack on press freedom as a whole and calls on international human rights and media organizations to condemn this infringement of journalists’ safety,” the statement said.
Al Jazeera said it would hold the Sudanese military “responsible for the safety of all its employees.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent press freedom organization headquartered in New York City, “strongly condemned” Al-Kabbashi’s detention on Monday and demanded his immediate release.
“Authorities must ensure that journalists and news outlets can freely report the news during this critical moment in the country’s history,” CPJ said.
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