Journos Face Prison in Sudan

(Khartoum, Sudan) Two Sudanese journalists were convicted of publishing an article that criticized the government security service. They were fined $5,000 each but they refuse to pay.

Fatih Mahjoub Irwaha, editor in chief of Arabic daily Al Sudani, and his deputy and columnist Nurelden Madini, are facing two months in prison after refusing to pay a fine for defamation, staff at the newspaper said.

Sudan's National Intelligence Service said it had been libelled by the paper.

The Al Sudani article discussed the detention of four other writers who were covering protests about the Kajbar dam project in northern Sudan in July.

Al Sudani's news editor Yasser Abdalah criticised the court's decision saying it would 'undermine journalism and obstruct our work'.

Two months in a Sudanese prison sounds terrible. It probably makes Gitmo look like a five-star resort.

Heh.