Sudanese Editor Wins Golden Pen of Freedom Award

2004-12-13

Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the oldest independent newspaper in Sudan, has been awarded the 2005 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World Association of Newspapers.

(World Association of Newspapers – 23/11/04)

[AFP] Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh is an accomplished journalist in the face of adversity.

Saleh, age 76, has been fighting for freedom of expression in Sudan for over 50 years. He began his journalistic career in 1949 and established the Al-Ayam newspaper in 1958. It was shut down twice by the military government in the 1960s, nationalized in 1970, and not returned to its owners until 1986. The government shut down the newspaper again in 1989 for ten years.

Since re-opening in 2000, the Al-Ayam and its staff have been subjected to imprisonment, fines, confiscation and closure. The most recent shut down was for three months beginning in November 2003. Saleh has been jailed numerous times for his journalistic activities.

The Golden Pen of Freedom award, which will be presented on 30 May next year at the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum in Seoul, Korea, recognizes Salah's outstanding defence and promotion of press freedom.

"In a country with one of the most restrictive media environments in Africa, Saleh is a pioneer and a hero for the independent press," said the Board of the Paris-based WAN, meeting in London. "Despite great hardships, he has never lost faith in a free and independent press in Sudan, and his newspaper has been a training ground for like-minded journalists. The worldwide newspaper community awards him this honour in recognition of his lifetime achievements."

Saleh began his journalistic career at The Sudan Star in 1949. He is a founding member of the Federation of Arab Journalists and the African Journalists Union, and has served as General Secretary of the Sudanese Journalists Union. In addition to his journalistic activities, Salah is a founding member of the Sudan First Forum (2003) and the Committee for National Reconciliation (2003).

Apart from a short period of peace, Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war between the mainly Muslim north and the Christian south since independence in 1956. A tentative peace agreement was reached in spring 2004, but violence and fighting continues in many parts of the country. In the Darfur region, the recent resurgence of fighting has forced more than 1 million people to flee amid reports of gross human rights violations.

Sudanese authorities have imposed a virtual news blackout and denied international observers access to the country. Security personnel routinely confiscate newspaper copies containing articles covering sensitive issues or deemed critical of the government. The government has forcibly suspended a number of print media outlets.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organization for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 18,000 newspapers, 72 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 13 news agencies and ten regional and world-wide press groups.