Jailed Sudan filmmaker released

KHARTOUM: Prize-winning Sudanese filmmaker Hajooj Kuka, who was sentenced to two months in prison for causing a ‘public nuisance', was released by a Khartoum court on Thursday, along with four other artists.

“Hajooj Kuka, Doaa Tarig... and three other people were released by the appellate court,” their lawyer Othman al-Basri told AFP.

Kuka, along with four fellow artists belonging to the ‘Civic Lab' collective, were in Septembre sentenced to two months in jail and a fine of 5,000 Sudanese pounds (US$90) for causing a ‘public nuisance' and breaking a curfew imposed over the novel coronavirus. The Civic Lab collective was formed in the wake of – and inspired by – mass protests that last year brought down autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

According to Sudanese activist Tahani Abbas, police arrested the eleven artists on Aug 10 while they were rehearsing a play following a complaint from neighbours.

Kuka had in August said on Twitter that he and others were “attacked during a theater workshop in #khartoum by islamists instigators. The police stood by the attackers and arrested us”.

Basri said the cases of the six other artists will be reviewed on Monday. Steven Markowitz, who produced Kuka's recent film ‘aKasha' – shown at the Venice film festival – took to Twitter to praise the decision.

“Great news!! Hajooj and the four artists have just been released... International pressure made a difference,” he wrote.