Sudan’s union slams Cairo raid on Anadolu Agency

By Omer Erdem

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – The Sudanese Journalists’ Union on Thursday condemned the Egyptian police raid at Anadolu Agency’s Cairo office and detention of staff members.

Abdulmajid Abdulhamid, the vice-chairman of the union, said Egypt violated the freedom of the press by detaining Anadolu Agency’s employees and putting pressure on journalists.

Abdulhamid called the Egyptian authorities for the immediate release of the detained employees.

He added that journalists should be able to do their jobs without government pressure.

Also, Lina Yacoub, the executive director of Bac News in Sudan, described the raid as a "barbaric behavior incompatible with freedom and democracy."

On Tuesday, Egyptian police raided the Cairo office of Anadolu Agency and detained four employees, including a Turkish citizen.

On Thursday evening, the Turkish citizen was released, but the whereabouts of other three detainees remain unknown.

Ankara strongly condemned the raid and called for the immediate release of the employees.

Turkey’s political relations with Egypt have remained rocky since 2013, when Mohamed Morsi — Egypt's first freely elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader — was ousted in a bloody military coup.

* Writing by Fahri Aksut in Ankara.

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