Sudan frees detained newspaper editor amid protests

A Sudanese newspaper editor-in-chief has been freed after a month in detention for speaking out against President Omar al-Bashir's state of emergency law, the publication confirmed this week.

Osman Mirghani was released from detention on Friday, according to Al-Tayar's - an independent newspaper - Facebook page.

He was detained after making televised comments on President Omar al-Bashir's decision to impose emergency rule in the country. 

Reporters Without Borders said Mirghani was "clearly paying for his criticism" of the state of emergency declared February 22.

Sudan has been rocked by near daily protests since mid-December against the longtime ruler, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur.

Bashir's government has met the protests with a heavy-handed crackdown and last month declared a state of emergency.

On Monday, Bashir acknowledged the "legitimate" demands of anti-government protesters while his security forces ironically continued to tear gas them.

"The economic crisis has impacted a wide section of our people," Bashir told lawmakers in his first speech to parliament since a state of emergency he imposed on 22 February to quell the protests.

"Some of them took to the streets to express their legitimate demands, but some of those gatherings used unlawful ways and destroyed properties."

Several offices and buildings belonging to Bashir's ruling National Congress Party were set on fire during early protests.

As he made the speech, Sudanese state media said police have continued to fire tear gas on protesters in the capital city Khartoum.

SUNA had also quoted police spokesperson Hashem Ali as saying that security forces on Sunday arrested a "number of protesters" and filed charges against them under emergency laws declared by Bashir in February.

Bashir had also blamed several deaths on the actions of political groups.

Protests have rocked the East African country since December, with demonstrators calling on the veteran leader to step down.

They accuse Bashir's government of mismanaging the country's economy, leading to soaring food prices and regular shortages of fuel and foreign currency.

Follow us on Twitter: @The_NewArab