International Awards Ceremony Overshadowed by UK Visa Refusal for Sudanese Journalist
LONDON — Sudanese journalist Mohammed Amin has been denied a UK visa to attend an awards ceremony where he is nominated for Journalist of the Year, prompting criticism from organisers who described the decision as deeply disappointing.
Amin, a freelance correspondent for Middle East Eye, was due to travel to London for the One World Media Awards. The Home Office refused his eight‑day visa application, stating it was not satisfied he had a genuine reason to visit or that he would leave the UK at the end of his stay.
“There’s a contradiction between British journalists, who consider what is happening in Sudan, and the UK government, which organizes conferences about Sudan but denies visas for journalists,” Amin said, noting that he had visited the UK multiple times previously. He was required to travel to the British High Commission in Uganda for an in‑person interview as part of the application process. The Home Office said there is no right of appeal or administrative review against the decision.
Chinwe Kalu‑Uma, One World Media’s interim director, said: “It is deeply disappointing that Mohammed, nominated for our Journalist of the Year Award, who has at great risk continued to report from inside Sudan so that the world might pay attention, has been denied a visa to travel to London to receive that recognition.”
Amin specialises in reporting on geopolitics and human rights abuses in Sudan, South Sudan, and northeast Africa. He is known for his frontline coverage of the 2019 removal of President Omar Al‑Bashir, the 2021 military coup, and Wagner Group massacres. In 2022, he won the Martin Adler Prize, awarded to freelance journalists who demonstrate exceptional courage.
Also Read:
TikTok Boosts MENA Brand Growth with Agentic AI and Smarter Ad Technology
How WhatsApp Usernames Will Change the Way You Connect with Others
