Mahjoub Mohamed Salih
Encyclopedia
Mahjoub Mohamed Salih is a journalist from Sudan, which the World Association of Newspapers
calls "one of the most restrictive media environments on the African continent". He was awarded the 2005 Golden Pen of Freedom.
In 2003, he began covering the War in Darfur
. For this, his newspaper were stopped, punished, and from November 2003 to January 2004, closed down. However, Sudanese authorities claimed it was due to Al-Ayem's failure to pay their taxes. In any case, its journalists have be fined, and sensitive or controversial issues have been confiscated by Sudanese authorities. Salih personally has been incarcerated "numerous" times for publishing such issues.
He received Golden Pen of Freedom in 2005, during the opening ceremonies of the 58th World Newspaper Congress and the 12th World Editors Forum, the global meetings of the Earth's press. It has been awarded annually since 1961 for the stated purpose of "recognis[ing] outstanding action by an individual, a group or an institution in the cause of press freedom." In attendance of the ceremony were the President of South Korea, Roh Moo-Hyun
, several representatives from the diplomatic community, and over 1,300 journalists, publishers, and editors of newspapers in 82 countries.
In July 2005, Sudanese authorities suspended their censorship of the press. A new law was put into place requiring that they have to take the journalist to court, instead of immediately punishing them. Salih became the application of that law, after Al-Ayam published an article seen as demeaning to the armed forces.
World Association of Newspapers
The World Association of Newspapers is a non-profit, non-governmental organization made up of 76 national newspaper associations, 12 news agencies, 10 regional press organisations and individual newspaper executives in 100 countries...
calls "one of the most restrictive media environments on the African continent". He was awarded the 2005 Golden Pen of Freedom.
Biography
Salih became a journalist in 1949 after joining the Sudanese independence movement from Egypt. He founded the oldest independent newspaper in Sudan, Al Ayam, in 1958. Twice closed by the Sudanese government during the 1960s, it became a product of it in 1970. Salih did not publish it again until 1986. This was not the end of his troubles with the law, as it was again closed from 1989 to 2000.In 2003, he began covering the War in Darfur
War in Darfur
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
. For this, his newspaper were stopped, punished, and from November 2003 to January 2004, closed down. However, Sudanese authorities claimed it was due to Al-Ayem's failure to pay their taxes. In any case, its journalists have be fined, and sensitive or controversial issues have been confiscated by Sudanese authorities. Salih personally has been incarcerated "numerous" times for publishing such issues.
He received Golden Pen of Freedom in 2005, during the opening ceremonies of the 58th World Newspaper Congress and the 12th World Editors Forum, the global meetings of the Earth's press. It has been awarded annually since 1961 for the stated purpose of "recognis[ing] outstanding action by an individual, a group or an institution in the cause of press freedom." In attendance of the ceremony were the President of South Korea, Roh Moo-Hyun
Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun GOM GCB was the 16th President of South Korea .Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for student activists in South Korea. His electoral career later expanded to a focus on overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, culminating in his...
, several representatives from the diplomatic community, and over 1,300 journalists, publishers, and editors of newspapers in 82 countries.
In July 2005, Sudanese authorities suspended their censorship of the press. A new law was put into place requiring that they have to take the journalist to court, instead of immediately punishing them. Salih became the application of that law, after Al-Ayam published an article seen as demeaning to the armed forces.