PORT SUDAN – Sudan’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of journalist Rashan Oshi, more than a month after she was imprisoned over a social media post alleging financial corruption involving a Sudanese diplomat.
Oshi announced her release in a Facebook post, writing: “The Supreme Court ordered my release. Thanks to everyone who stood by me. Salute to the Sudanese judiciary.”
A cybercrimes court in Port Sudan had sentenced Oshi to one year in prison and fined her 10 million Sudanese pounds after convicting her under Articles 25 and 26 of Sudan’s Cybercrime Law on charges related to defamation and reputational harm in connection with a Facebook post.
The case prompted criticism from Sudanese journalists and rights advocates, who opposed the use of prison sentences in publication-related cases and called for such disputes to be handled through civil legal procedures rather than criminal penalties.
Earlier, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for Oshi’s immediate release, saying her imprisonment represented an escalation against press freedom in Sudan and urging authorities to stop jailing journalists for their reporting.
The ruling comes as Sudan continues to face growing concerns over press freedom since the outbreak of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023. Sudanese and international media rights organizations have repeatedly reported legal action, arrests and other restrictions targeting journalists covering the conflict and public affairs.
