A/HRC/9/13 page 10 C. Freedom of expression 34. Most likely exacerbated by the 10 May incident, restrictions on freedom of expression have been further tightened. Media organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and human rights defenders have all reported increasing harassment and censorship by the Government and especially NISS. On 14 May, for instance, NISS officers searched the premises of the Arabic-language newspaper, Alwan, confiscating property and indefinitely suspending publication of the paper. Reportedly, the reason for the raid and the suspension were allegations that Alwan had disclosed sensitive military information by publishing a story about a Sudanese military aircraft that was allegedly shot down by JEM during their attack on Khartoum. Journalists from other papers have been summoned and detained by authorities for resisting censorship. Some have reported ill-treatment during such detentions, including death threats and calculated humiliation. 35. The regular censorship of newspapers by NISS that was reinstated in February 2008 has also continued, with visits by NISS officials to newspaper offices on the evening before publication to review and potentially restrict content by removing or changing articles. An attempt to force newspaper editors to submit advance copies of papers to NISS every evening, however, was strongly resisted by several Arabic-language papers. Eight newspapers refused to comply with the new measure, which resulted in three of them being temporarily banned from publishing. In protest, the daily Ajrass Al Huriya called a press conference and was then again prevented from publishing for trying to cover it in the next day’s edition. Ultimately NISS agreed to stop requiring advance copies to be submitted, and resumed the nightly visits to newspaper premises instead. 36. As Sudan prepares for a general election scheduled for 2009, it is essential that fundamental freedoms of expression, association, assembly and movement are guaranteed and respected across the country. Following the passing of a new Elections Act, much will also depend on a genuinely independent and impartial electoral commission being set up. D. Justice and accountability 37. One of the most important challenges to human rights protection in Sudan continues to be the lack of justice and accountability for serious crimes. In far too many incidents the Government has failed to hold accountable perpetrators of human rights and international human rights law violations. Even when confronted with the most serious and well-documented allegations, investigations of an appropriate standard frequently do not take place, are not made public or drag on for many months or years. 38. In her last reports the Special Rapporteur reported on a number of cases of killings of civilians which have not been prosecuted, including an incident in 2007 where security forces used lethal force in suppressing protests against the construction of a hydropower dam in Kajbar, killing four civilians.8 The Government stated that the investigative process was still ongoing and a report will be handed over to the Ministry of Interior. According to the Government, 8 See A/HRC/7/22, paras. 26-30 and A/62/354, paras. 17-19.