Egyptian Journalist Returns Home after Imprisonment in Sudan

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IPI today welcomed the release, and return to Egypt, of Egyptian journalist Shaimaa Adel, who had been detained in the Sudanese capital Khartoum since July 3, and called for the Sudanese authorities to allow journalists to work freely without fear of detention. The journalist, working for Al Watan newspaper, returned to Egypt aboard the plane of newly-elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Monday, after he met with Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir during the African Summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, and requested that she be released. According to news reports, Adel was detained one day after reporting from Sudan on student protests against austerity measures. Adel’s arrest prompted widespread protests in Egypt at the Press Syndicate and the Embassy of Sudan in Cairo. “While we welcome the release of Shaimaa Adel,” said IPI Deputy Director Anthony Mills, “we remain gravely concerned at the intensified crackdown on the media in Sudan. Journalists have a right to report without fear of detention.” Bloomberg reporter Salma al-Wardany was recently detained for a week in Khartoum and was subsequently deported by authorities. Copyright 2012 by International Press Institute and their affiliate SEEMO.  All worldwide rights reserved.