Lina Yaqoub, Director of Al Arabiya and Al Hadath Channels’ Offices in Sudan, Suspended

The Foreign Media Department of the Ministry of Culture and Information issued a decision to suspend Lina Yaqoub, Director of Al Arabiya and Al Hadath Channels’ Offices in Sudan, and to withdraw and cancel her press accreditation.
The Ministry attributed the decision to maintaining professionalism and ensuring that national security and the public interest are not exposed to risks resulting from the circulation of inaccurate and misleading information.
The decision indicated that the Foreign Media Department at the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism had monitored significant and repeated professional violations committed by the director of the Al-Hadath and Al-Arabiya channels’ offices during the period from December 24, 2024, until the date of this decision’s issuance. This does not include previous violations, which included broadcasting unverified information and publishing stories attributed to anonymous sources, without consulting official authorities or adhering to journalistic verification standards. This misled local and international public opinion and harmed the reputation of the state and its institutions, in addition to blatant violations of internationally agreed-upon professional standards, according to the decision.
The ministry stated that the issued decision directly concerns journalistic correspondence and does not target Al-Hadath and Al-Arabiya channels as two media institutions licensed to operate in Sudan. Furthermore, the ministry draws the attention of the two channels to the need not to publish any content that contravenes professional standards and violates local laws regulating media work.