Journalists condemn editor's killing

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

NAIROBI-- Journalists in Sudan have condemned the killing of Mohammed Taha, a newspaper editor whose headless body was found outside Khartoum on Wednesday hours after he was kidnapped from his home in the city.

The journalists' association wrote to the government demanding action against whoever was responsible for the murder, but a demonstration by about 200 journalists in Khartoum on Wednesday to condemn the killing was broken up by the police, according to Alfred Taban, the editor of the Khartoum Monitor, an independent newspaper.

Taha was charged with blasphemy last year after an article questioning the parentage of the Prophet Mohammed appeared in his al-Wifaq newspaper. The newspaper was shut down for two months, but the charges were later dropped. Several religious groups had called for his killing, according to Taban, despite his apology for the offending article.

There are unconfirmed reports that arrests have been made in connection with the murder, but no motive has yet been established, according to Sudanese police.

The journalists' rights watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, condemned Taha's killing and urged the Sudanese government to ensure that those responsible for the murder were prosecuted.

"The reforms introduced to restore peace and justice to Sudan will be put at risk if nothing is done to punish this crime," Reporters Without Borders said in a statement. "The Sudanese authorities must do their utmost to see that light is shed on this tragedy, so that both the perpetrators and those who instigated it are brought to trial," it added.