Readers of the Telegraph & Argus would be forgiven for taking freedom of the press for granted.

But living on their doorstep is one journalist and poet who has been imprisoned and tortured for criticising his Government.

Bushra Said sought refuge in West Yorkshire 14 months ago. A former editor of a regional, weekly newspaper in Sudan, he has been physically tortured for criticising the Sudanese regime which came to power in 1989 through a military coup. He now fears more brutal treatment if he returns home.

"I was arrested for writing and demonstrating against the regime and encouraging strike action," he said. "For three months afterwards, I had to report daily to the police and security forces.

"The problem there is that there is a fundamentalist regime there that wants to impose Islamic laws. There's also a long standing war between the north and south.

"I was always writing against the regime and had a lot of poems published in newspapers against it."

Last year, more than 50 journalists were murdered world-wide and 70 are being held in prison for actions similar to Bushra's.

Fleeing to Saudi Arabia, Bushra, 49, was again driven underground after publishers refused to print his poems.

Facing deportation bec-ause of problems renewing his passport, he finally travelled to Egypt where he sought help from the British Embassy. The regional Refu-gee Council is now trying to help him start a new life here.

He said: "Many journalists in Sudan are facing torture or detention for criticising the regime. In February, the editor of a daily newspaper was detained for criticising the Government and her paper was fined $500,000 - a disaster for a newspaper, particularly in Sudan which is so poor. If you raise your head, you can be destroyed.

"This regime is saying there is some freedom of the press but in practice there is not. They have a National Press Council but it reports directly to the President - it can't be independent.

"I'm fighting for my country and the restoration of democracy. Unlike here, the citizens cannot access any free press and don't know what's happening. It's a main role for the media to get information to support the people who are fighting for independence."