TEHRAN, December 27 -An independent union of Sudanese journalists launched a strike Thursday in support of "legitimate" popular demands for freedom and democracy, the latest in a series of work stoppages and protests calling for longtime President Omar Bashir to step down.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - A union statement said the three-day strike is also a protest against authorities' "barbaric" assault on press freedoms, including censorship and confiscating newspaper editions.
Street protests have swept most of Sudan since Dec. 19, with chants evoking those of the Arab Spring in 2010 and 2011.
Amnesty International said 37 people have died in the first five days of the protests.
The government has acknowledged fatalities, but gave no figures. The United States, Britain, Norway and Canada called on authorities to investigate the use of live ammunition against protesters.
An official at the journalists union said the response to the strike call was "very positive" among staff of privately-owned newspapers, but it was not clear how many employees at private television networks would join. Employees of state radio and television, as well as official newspapers, were not expected to strike, he said.
The government has heavily censored independent newspapers since the protests began, while the state media has adhered to the government line.
Reached in Khartoum, the official spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
An independent union of doctors started an open-ended strike on Tuesday.
In Atbara, a railway city north of Khartoum, popular neighborhood committees called for fresh protests Friday, dubbing it the "Friday of Martyrs" in memory of those killed in the latest protests.
Source: AP