Words speak with greater truth and power than the sound of guns, drones and incitement to murder. Words do not kill; it is the silence of people that does.
The Sudan Media Forum strongly condemns a public call for the killing of journalist Rasha Awad, made in an inciting social media post by an individual identified as Amira Karrar.
Rasha Awad has consistently spoken out against the war, the killing of Sudanese people, the erosion of national sovereignty, hate speech, racism and the fragmentation of the country.
It is no longer enough for those who promote the war and their leaders to suppress freedom of opinion, expression and conscience, destroy media institutions, force journalists into displacement and exile, and pursue them through criminal complaints, arrests and detention. The campaign has now escalated to blatant incitement to assassinate journalist Rasha Awad.
At this critical moment in Sudan’s history, the targeting of journalists represents yet another attempt to silence independent voices, particularly those of women journalists. Rasha Awad has become a prominent figure in independent journalism, not only for her courage and integrity as a writer, but also for her leadership of Al-Taghyeer, one of Sudan’s platforms for public awareness and truthful journalism.
The Sudan Media Forum warns against any threat to Rasha Awad’s life and reaffirms its unwavering opposition to incitement to murder journalists, both women and men. We call on all those who believe in freedom of expression and conscience to raise their voices against attempts to silence journalists. We also urge Sudan’s journalistic and media community to strengthen collective efforts to ensure the safety and protection of journalists.
The Sudan Media Forum will continue to stand in solidarity with Rasha Awad, defending both her personal safety and her right to wield her pen fearlessly. Journalists and independent voices calling for press freedom and freedom of expression will remain on the front lines of the struggle to defend Sudan, protect its people and oppose war, killing and displacement.
The sun of freedom will rise, and the darkness of war and violence will lift.
A free press will endure. Those who promote war and killing, and the tyrants who stand behind them, will not.
Sudan Media Forum
11 October
