Amal Khalifa Idris Habani (; born 19 September 1974) is a

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

ese journalist and

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

activist.

Background and education

Following her degree in

Media Studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but it mos ...

from the

University of Khartoum The University of Khartoum (U of K) () is a public university located in Khartoum, Sudan. It is the largest and oldest university in Sudan. UofK was founded as Gordon Memorial College in 1902 and established in 1956 when Sudan gained independen ...

, Habani worked as a

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

journalist and contributor to the Sudanese news outlet ''Al-Taghyeer''. She is a co-founder of the local independent press freedom group Sudanese Journalists Network, based in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

Human rights activism

Habani is also a human rights activist. She is the co-founder of the Sudanese women's movement No to Oppression against Women, a social initiative established in 2009 that calls for change in Sudanese laws that discriminate against and target women in Sudan.

Persecution and torture

Habani has repeatedly been harassed, detained and tortured by Sudanese authorities in connection with her coverage of protests and official infringements of

civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...

. In 2013, she was detained for days in an undisclosed location, after she reported critically on police response to protests in Khartoum. In 2017, she was arrested in connection with her coverage of a trial of a human rights organization accused of "publishing false reports". After refusing to pay the fine and preferring to be jailed, she was released after a crowdfunding campaign raised the funds. Documenting human rights violations, Habani was arrested on 16 January 2018 and again from 16 January to 18 February 2023 for being part of a public demonstration addressing the prices of goods and the economic crisis facing Sudan. In late 2023, Habani and her sons were granted refuge by the German Panter Foundation and

Reporters without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...

in Berlin, Germany,

Awards

* Habani received the Human Rights Activist Award with the No to Oppression against Women Initiative in 2014 from the EU delegation in Sudan. * Habani has received recognition for her courageous opposition outside of her country: in 2014,

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

awarded her the prestigious

Ginetta Sagan Ginetta Sagan (June 1, 1925 – August 25, 2000) was an Italian-born American human rights activist best known for her work with Amnesty International on behalf of prisoners of conscience. Born in Milan, Italy, Sagan lost her parents in her teen ...

Prize. *In 2018 Habani was among the journalists described as "The Guardians" who were named

Time Person of the Year Person of the Year (called Man of the Year or Woman of the Year until 1999) is an annual issue of the American news magazine and website ''Time (magazine), Time'' featuring a person, group, idea, or object that "for better or for worse ...h ...

of the United States news magazine ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''. *International Press Freedom Award 2018

References

External links

Speech for the 2018 International Press Freedom Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Habani, Amal Living people Sudanese activists Sudanese women activists Sudanese journalists Sudanese women journalists 1974 births