Media legislation
Although the regulations and policies to develop and maintain professional media practices in Sudan are very old dating before independence of the country in1930, many journalists feel that the recent regulations impose more restrictions and hinder their freedom of expression and force many to quit their profession.
Recently, in 2016, there was a debate about new legislation that was presented in the parliament and was aiming to enforce tighter restrictions on online content. Many angry journalists, mostly from printed media, protested the draft and organised demonstrations calling for the drafted legislation to be rejected. Although the specific content of the new legislation was not shared, the concerns of the journalists were made clear, but also demonstrated their vulnerability. In such a restrictive environment, the press does not have the resources to provide the needed support to protect journalists from detention, persecution or being charged with criminal offenses.