Journalist Aisha El Samani is to appear in court in En Nahud in West Kordofan of Sudan next week to face charges related to entering and photographing military areas.

El Samani, who works for the English-language Citizen newspaper, was arrested on 4 July under article 57 of the penal code for “filming military areas”. She was near to the En Nahud prison covering the detention of Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) leader Ibrahim El Sheikh.

She was taken to the city’s police station where she was questioned for an hour, and her mobile phone was confiscated. She was then conditionally released, but had to break-off her assignment and return to Khartoum.

El Samani has been summoned to appear at 10 am on Wednesday November 26. The charges carry a sentence of up a year’s imprisonment or a fine.

File photo: Aisha El Samani